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Published on: February 22, 2016
Development of the mouse B-cell repertoire
1Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|September 29, 1995
Summary
Early mouse B cells show self-reactivity due to limited germline components. Selective pressures shape this B-cell repertoire, favoring some self-reactive cells while restricting others from maturing.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- The early B-cell repertoire is crucial for immune system development.
- B-cell receptor (BCR) diversity is generated through V(D)J recombination.
- Understanding repertoire selection is key to immune tolerance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural basis of early B-cell receptor (BCR) properties.
- To elucidate the role of selective pressures on the developing B-cell repertoire.
- To characterize the self-selective mechanisms acting on B cells in vivo.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of BCR immunoglobulins in early ontogeny.
- Utilizing VH81X transgenic mouse models.
- In vivo studies to observe B-cell population dynamics.
Main Results:
- Early B cells exhibit high connectivity and self-reactivity, with low affinity BCRs.
- Restricted germline components contribute to the structural basis of these BCRs.
- In vivo models reveal dual selective pressures (positive and negative) on self-reactive B cells.
- Specific self-reactive B cells are favored in the CD23-IgM+ population but excluded from the CD23+IgM+ compartment.
Conclusions:
- The developing mouse B-cell repertoire is shaped by structural constraints and complex selective pressures.
- Self-reactivity is a feature of early B cells, modulated by distinct positive and negative selection mechanisms.
- These findings provide insights into the generation of a functional and self-tolerant B-cell repertoire.
