title: IL-7: a key regulator of B lymphopoiesis.
abstract: Interleukin-7 plays important roles in the B cell developmental pathway including events leading to commitment, survival, proliferation, and maturation. Because of its central role in adult murine B lymphopoiesis, IL-7 is frequently used to generate B cell progenitors in vitro. We have shown that differentiation of IL-7-responsive cells in these cultures is influenced by CD45, pre-B cell receptor, and other downstream signaling molecules. A common, but often overlooked aspect of IL-7 containing cultures is the routine maturation of cells to the sIgM(+) stage. The production of B cells in IL-7 containing cultures is balanced by cell death, since such cells fail to survive for long without additional stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. craig.milne@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Craig D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Milne
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Paige
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000502:physiology*; D038041:Lymphopoiesis / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015851:Interleukin-7