Floating the raft hypothesis: the roles of lipid rafts in B cell antigen receptor function.
The initiation of antibody responses to foreign antigens requires that B cells receive and integrate a variety of signals through an array of cell surface receptors including the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) as well as a number of essential coreceptors. Recent evidence indicates that cholesterol-rich plasma membrane microdomains, referred to here as lipid rafts, serve as platforms for BCR signaling and trafficking in B cells. The existence of rafts suggests a previously unappreciated level of organization at the B cell surface that may explain, at least in part, how BCR signaling is coordinated. Here the current evidence that lipid rafts play a key role in B cell responses is reviewed.
Cheng
P C
PC
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Cherukuri
A
A
Dykstra
M
M
Malapati
S
S
Sproul
T
T
Chen
M R
MR
Pierce
S K
SK
D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D018941:Antigens, CD19 / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D001692:Biological Transport; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000276:immunology*; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*
D000941:Antigens; D018941:Antigens, CD19; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d