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Updated: Aug 5, 2025

Real-time Live Imaging of T-cell Signaling Complex Formation
Published on: June 23, 2013
A Spatiotemporal Map of Co-Receptor Signaling Networks Underlying B Cell Activation
Katherine J Susa1,2, Gary A Bradshaw3, Robyn J Eisert1
1Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
The B cell receptor (BCR) signals together with a multi-component co-receptor complex to initiate B cell activation in response to antigen binding. This process underlies nearly every aspect of proper B cell function. Here, we take advantage of peroxidase-catalyzed proximity labeling combined with quantitative mass spectrometry to track B cell co-receptor signaling dynamics from 10 seconds to 2 hours after BCR stimulation. This approach enables tracking of 2,814 proximity-labeled proteins and 1,394 quantified phosphosites and provides an unbiased and quantitative molecular map of proteins recruited to the vicinity of CD19, the key signaling subunit of the co-receptor complex. We detail the recruitment kinetics of essential signaling effectors to CD19 following activation, and then identify new mediators of B cell activation. In particular, we show that the glutamate transporter SLC1A1 is responsible for mediating rapid metabolic reprogramming immediately downstream of BCR stimulation and for maintaining redox homeostasis during B cell activation. This study provides a comprehensive map of the BCR signaling pathway and a rich resource for uncovering the complex signaling networks that regulate B cell activation.
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