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Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Electroporation of Functional Bacterial Effectors into Mammalian Cells
Published on: January 19, 2015
Cochaperone Mzb1 is a key effector of Blimp1 in plasma cell differentiation and β1-integrin function
Virginia Andreani1, Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy1, Abhinav Pandey1
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Plasma cell differentiation involves coordinated changes in gene expression and functional properties of B cells. Here, we study the role of Mzb1, a Grp94 cochaperone that is expressed in marginal zone (MZ) B cells and during the terminal differentiation of B cells to antibody-secreting cells. By analyzing Mzb1Prdm1 mice, we find that Mzb1 is specifically required for the differentiation and function of antibody-secreting cells in a T cell-independent immune response. We find that Mzb1-deficiency mimics, in part, the phenotype of Blimp1 deficiency, including the impaired secretion of IgM and the deregulation of Blimp1 target genes. In addition, we find that Mzb1 plasmablasts show a reduced activation of β1-integrin, which contributes to the impaired plasmablast differentiation and migration of antibody-secreting cells to the bone marrow. Thus, Mzb1 function is required for multiple aspects of plasma cell differentiation.
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