Molecular mechanisms in B cell antigen receptor signaling

Recent gene-targeting experiments have highlighted the importance of the intracellular protein tyrosine kinases Lyn, Syk, and Btk in BCR signal transduction and B cell development. In addition, the interactions of these kinases and their regulatory mechanisms have been reported. Activation loop phosphorylation of these kinases is critical for their participation in signal propagation. Several substrates have been identified for these kinases and this has led to elucidation of the mechanisms by which these kinases mediate the downstream signaling events that lead to cellular responses of B cells.