title: Signal transduction through Vav-2 participates in humoral immune responses and B cell maturation.
abstract: B and T lymphocytes develop normally in mice lacking the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav-2. However, the immune responses to type II thymus-independent antigen as well as the primary response to thymus-dependent (TD) antigen are defective. Vav-2-deficient mice are also defective in their ability to switch immunoglobulin class, form germinal centers and generate secondary immune responses to TD antigens. Mice lacking both Vav-1 and Vav-2 contain reduced numbers of B lymphocytes and display a maturational block in the development of mature B cells. B cells from Vav-1(-/-)Vav-2(-/-) mice respond poorly to antigen receptor triggering, both in terms of proliferation and calcium release. These studies show the importance of Vav-2 in humoral immune responses and B cell maturation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lymphocyte Signaling and Development, Molecular Immunology Programme, The Babraham Institute, Babraham, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Doody
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vigorito
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Clayton
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McAdam
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tooze
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D051567:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D000955:Antigens, T-Independent; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051567:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav; C496619:Vav1 protein, mouse; C490565:Vav2 protein, mouse