Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Studying Organelle Dynamics in B Cells During Immune Synapse Formation
Published on: June 1, 2019
Orchestrating B cell lymphopoiesis through interplay of IL-7 receptor and pre-B cell receptor signalling
Marcus R Clark1, Malay Mandal1, Kyoko Ochiai2
1Section of Rheumatology and Gwen Knapp Center for Lupus and Immunology Research, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
The development of B cells is dependent on the sequential DNA rearrangement of immunoglobulin loci that encode subunits of the B cell receptor. The pathway navigates a crucial checkpoint that ensures expression of a signalling-competent immunoglobulin heavy chain before commitment to rearrangement and expression of an immunoglobulin light chain. The checkpoint segregates proliferation of pre-B cells from immunoglobulin light chain recombination and their differentiation into B cells. Recent advances have revealed the molecular circuitry that controls two rival signalling systems, namely the interleukin-7 (IL-7) receptor and the pre-B cell receptor, to ensure that proliferation and immunoglobulin recombination are mutually exclusive, thereby maintaining genomic integrity during B cell development.
The development of B cells is dependent on the sequential DNA rearrangement of immunoglobulin loci that encode subunits of the B cell receptor. The pathway navigates a crucial checkpoint that ensures expression of a signalling-competent immunoglobulin heavy chain before commitment to rearrangement and expression of an immunoglobulin light chain. The checkpoint segregates proliferation of pre-B cells from immunoglobulin light chain recombination and their differentiation into B cells. Recent advances have revealed the molecular circuitry that controls two rival signalling systems, namely the interleukin-7 (IL-7) receptor and the pre-B cell receptor, to ensure that proliferation and immunoglobulin recombination are mutually exclusive, thereby maintaining genomic integrity during B cell development.
Related Concept Videos
B Cell Activation and Differentiation
When naive B cells encounter a specific antigen that can bind to the B cell receptor (BCR) on their surface, they undergo sensitization to respond to the antigen's presence. Sensitization begins with...
Cells of the Adaptive Immune Response
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Primary Lymphoid Organs
The red bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue nestled in the interior of long bones such as the humerus and femur. It is the site...
T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...
Diversity of Antigen Receptors
Before encountering any antigen, lymphocytes express these receptors. On B cells, the antigen receptor is a membrane-bound antibody molecule called BCR; on T cells, it is a T cell receptor or TCR. B and T cell receptors are composed of two...

