title: Control of B cell development by Ras-mediated activation of Raf.
abstract: Cell fate commitment in a variety of lineages requires signals conveyed via p21ras. To examine the role of p21ras in the development of B lymphocytes, we generated transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative form of Ras in B lymphocyte progenitors, using a novel transcriptional element consisting of the Emu enhancer and the lck proximal promoter. Expression of dominant-negative Ras arrests B cell development at a very early stage, prior to formation of the pre-B cell receptor. Furthermore, an activated form of Raf expressed in the same experimental system could both drive the maturation of normal pro-B cells and rescue development of progenitors expressing dominant-negative Ras. Hence p21ras normally regulates early development of B lymphocytes by a mechanism that involves activation of the serine/threonine kinase Raf.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Iritani
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Forbush
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Farrar
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Perlmutter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008954:Models, Biological; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / Q000378:metabolism*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)