title: Early B lymphocyte development: Similarities and differences in human and mouse.
abstract: B lymphocytes differentiate from hematopoietic stem cells through a series of distinct stages. Early B cell development proceeds in bone marrow until immature B cells migrate out to secondary lymphoid tissues, such as a spleen and lymph nodes, after completion of immunoglobulin heavy and light chain rearrangement. Although the information about the regulation by numerous factors, including signaling molecules, transcription factors, epigenetic changes and the microenvironment, could provide the clinical application, our knowledge on human B lymphopoiesis is limited. However, with great methodological advances, significant progress for understanding B lymphopoiesis both in human and mouse has been made. In this review, we summarize the experimental models for studies about human adult B lymphopoiesis, and the role of microenvironment and signaling molecules, such as cytokines, transforming growth factor-β superfamily, Wnt family and Notch family, with point-by-point comparison between human and mouse.
authors.affiliation: Michiko Ichii, Kenji Oritani, Yuzuru Kanakura, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ichii
authors.affiliation: Michiko Ichii, Kenji Oritani, Yuzuru Kanakura, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oritani
authors.affiliation: Michiko Ichii, Kenji Oritani, Yuzuru Kanakura, Department of Hematology and Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuzuru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanakura
keywords: B cell cultures; Human B lymphopoiesis; IL-7; Microenvironment; Wnt signaling