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Tolerance checkpoints in B-cell development: Johnny B good

Roxane Tussiwand1, Nabil Bosco, Rhodri Ceredig

  • 1Developmental and Molecular Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse, Basel, Switzerland.

European Journal of Immunology
|August 29, 2009
PubMed

B-cell development up to the immature B-cell stage takes place in the bone marrow, while final maturation into mature B cells occurs in the spleen. During differentiation, the precursor and immature B cells have to pass several checkpoints, including those in which they are censored for being auto-reactive, and therefore being potentially dangerous. Numerous studies have shown that the immature B-cell stage in the bone marrow and the transitional B-cell stages in the spleen comprise distinct checkpoints at which auto-reactivity is censored. Recently, evidence has been provided that the large pre-BII stage in the bone marrow, at which the pre-BCR is expressed, is yet another B-cell tolerance checkpoint. Here, we review these findings and speculate on directions for possible further experimentation.

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