Regulation of B cell differentiation by bone marrow stromal cells.
B lymphocyte development occurs in the intersinusoidal spaces of bone marrow in association with a sessile population of stromal cells. Development of long-term bone marrow culture systems that support B lymphopoiesis has allowed the isolation of stromal cells that support that process and permitted analysis of their role in controlling the growth and differentiation of B lineage cells in culture. In addition to direct interactions with developing lymphocytes, stromal cells secrete a variety of cytokines that affect lymphocyte growth and differentiation, and many of these molecules have been expressed in recombinant form. These relatively recent advances have made it possible to formulate a working model of the cells and molecules involved in regulating primary B cell production.
Dorshkind
K
K
Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California, Riverside 92521-0121.
Landreth
K S
KS
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D002454:Cell Differentiation