title: CD40 and its ligand, an essential ligand-receptor pair for thymus-dependent B-cell activation.
abstract: The discovery of CD40 and its ligand, gp39, have created new perspectives on the activation of resting B cells by TH cells. Here, Randolph Noelle, Jeffrey Ledbetter and Alejandro Aruffo describe how these molecules were characterized and, from recent findings, examine their relevance to immune activation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000502:physiology*; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000502:physiology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D019013:CD40 Antigens; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008211:Lymphocyte Cooperation; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; D019013:CD40 Antigens; D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D004247:DNA