title: Evidence of marginal-zone B cell-positive selection in spleen.
abstract: Antigen receptor-mediated signaling is critical for the development and survival of B cells. However, it has not been established whether B cell development requires a signal from self-ligand engagement at the immature stage, a process known as "positive selection." Here, using a monoclonal B cell receptor (BCR) mouse line, specific for the self-Thy-1/CD90 glycoprotein, we demonstrate that BCR crosslinking by low-dose self-antigen promotes survival of immature B cells in culture. In spleen, an increase in BCR signaling strength, induced by low-dose self-antigen, directed naive immature B cells to mature, not into the default follicular B cell fate, but instead into the marginal-zone B cell subset. These data indicate that positive selection can occur in developing B cells and that BCR signal strength is a key factor in deciding between two functionally distinct mature B cell compartments in the microenvironment of the spleen.
authors.affiliation: Fox Chase Cancer Center, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Joni
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brill-Dashoff
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shinton
authors.forename: Masanao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D017637:Clonal Deletion / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D051883:Receptor, Notch2; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; C497765:Notch2 protein, mouse; D051883:Receptor, Notch2; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens