Regulation of B cell development by Notch/RBP-J signaling.

RBP-J is an essential signal mediator of all four Notches in nuclei. Loss-of-function analyses clearly show the crucial roles of RBP-J in commitment of T cells versus B cells as well as MZ B cells versus Fo B cells. Such Notch/RBP-J regulation of dichotomic differentiation steps in lymphocyte is reminiscent of the development of sensory organ precursors (SOPs) in Drosophila. Studies on RBP-J conditional knockout mice that have lost MZ B cells without affecting Fo B cell functions have shown that MZ B cells play pivotal roles in immune responses to blood-borne bacteria.