BCMAp: an integral membrane protein in the Golgi apparatus of human mature B lymphocytes

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M P Gras1, Y Laâbi, G Linares-Cruz

  • 1INSERM U 301, Institut de Génétique Moléculaire, Paris, France.

International Immunology
|July 1, 1995
PubMed

Insights

B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a Golgi-resident protein specific to B lymphocytes. Its expression increases with B-cell differentiation, suggesting a role in immunoglobulin intracellular traffic.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is a gene expressed in mature B lymphocytes.
  • BCMA encodes a peptide (BCMAp) that is an integral membrane protein.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate BCMA mRNA expression during B lymphocyte differentiation.
  • To determine the localization and function of BCMAp.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of BCMA mRNA in human malignant B cell lines.
  • Cellular fractionation and immunoprecipitation using polyclonal antibodies.
  • Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy to identify BCMAp localization.

Main Results:

  • BCMA mRNA expression is absent in pro-B cells, faint in pre-B cells, and increases with B-cell maturation.
  • BCMAp is a non-glycosylated type I integral membrane protein.
  • BCMAp localizes to the cis-Golgi apparatus, not the plasma membrane.

Conclusions:

  • BCMAp is the first identified Golgi-resident protein with tissue specificity and differentiation-linked expression in B lymphocytes.
  • BCMAp's localization suggests involvement in the intracellular trafficking of immunoglobulins.

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