| First Author | Castigli E | Year | 1996 |
| Journal | Int Immunol | Volume | 8 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 405-411 |
| PubMed ID | 8671627 | Mgi Jnum | J:112981 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3664159 | Doi | 10.1093/intimm/8.3.405 |
| Citation | Castigli E, et al. (1996) CD40 expression and function in murine B cell ontogeny. Int Immunol 8(3):405-411 |
| abstractText | The CD40 antigen, a member of the nerve growth factor/tumor necrosis factor receptor family, is expressed on all mature B lymphocytes and plays a crucial role in B cell activation, T cell-dependent antigen-driven isotype switching and germinal center formation. We have analyzed CD40 expression and function during mouse B cell development by examining B cell precursors in normal mice and in transgenic animals in which B cell development is frozen at discrete stages. These models included RAG-2-/- mice, and transgenic littermates that express a mu heavy chain and/or the bcl-2 proto-oncogene transgene. CD40 was undetectable at the pro-B cell stage, but was expressed, although at low levels, on pre-B cells. However, pre-B cells failed to respond to CD40 triggering either by expression of CD23 or by proliferation in the presence of IL-4. Overexpression of bcl-2 increased the density of CD40 expression on pre-B cells: these cells respond to CD40 ligation by expressing CD23 and by proliferating in the presence of IL-4. |
