Immunodeficiency in protein kinase cbeta-deficient mice

M Leitges1, C Schmedt, R Guinamard

  • 1Max-Delbrück-Laboratorium in der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Carl-von-Linné-Weg 10, D-50829 Köln, Germany.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|August 9, 1996
PubMed

Cross-linking of the antigen receptor on lymphocytes by antigens or antibodies to the receptor results in activation of enzymes of the protein kinase C (PKC) family. Mice homozygous for a targeted disruption of the gene encoding the PKC-betaI and PKC-betaII isoforms develop an immunodeficiency characterized by impaired humoral immune responses and reduced cellular responses of B cells, which is similar to X-linked immunodeficiency in mice. Thus PKC-betaI and PKC-betaII play an important role in B cell activation and may be functionally linked to Bruton's tyrosine kinase in antigen receptor-mediated signal transduction.