| First Author | Erlandsson L | Year | 2005 |
| Journal | Eur J Immunol | Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 6 | Pages | 1969-76 |
| PubMed ID | 15909309 | Mgi Jnum | J:99189 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3581459 | Doi | 10.1002/eji.200425821 |
| Citation | Erlandsson L, et al. (2005) Both the pre-BCR and the IL-7Ralpha are essential for expansion at the pre-BII cell stage in vivo. Eur J Immunol 35(6):1969-1976 |
| abstractText | During B cell development, proliferative expansion takes place after expression of the pre-BCR. At this pre-BII cell stage, the IL-7Ralpha is also expressed. Some in vitro studies suggest that pre-BCR-dependent expansion relies on the IL-7Ralpha, and others that it does not. It has also been suggested that the pre-BCR mediates down-regulation of the IL-7Ralpha. However, the in vivo relationship between the pre-BCR and the IL-7Ralpha has not been previously examined. Here, we have investigated this by establishing mice lacking both receptors. Our results show that in the absence of the IL-7Ralpha, the pre-BII population is reduced, as previously seen in mice lacking the pre-BCR, demonstrating that the IL-7Ralpha is important at this stage. A deficiency in both receptors results in a further reduction of the pre-BII cell population. We conclude that both the IL-7Ralpha and the pre-BCR are required for optimal pre-BII cell expansion. Furthermore, IL-7Ralpha expression levels are normal in pre-BCR-deficient mice, suggesting that the pre-BCR does not mediate its down-regulation. As a consequence of the absence of both receptors, the peripheral B cell pool is severely depleted, resulting in atypical splenic B cell structures and reduced serum Ig levels. |
