Current concepts in chicken B cell development

The chicken has provided fundamental insights into the workings of vertebrate immunity. In particular, the development of B cells in a unique organ, the bursa of Fabricius, has provided a novel opportunity to study B cell development. Although chickens generate their Ig repertoire in a different way than mice and humans, there are many striking similarities in the developmental process. In particular, the control of lymphocyte migration and survival is key to the development of an immune system. The evolutionary distance of chickens and mammals underscore how common the problems are as well as how the solutions are often similar. Such commonalities serve to maintain the chicken as a compelling animal in which to study B cell development.