Antigen receptor-initiated signals for B cell development and selection.

The B cell antigen receptor or signaling components of this receptor play varying roles in determining the fate of the B cell at different stages of B cell development. Signals generated through this receptor complex or its various components determine the survival, progression, expansion, and activation of the B cell. Factors that determine the fate of the B cell following antigen receptor engagement include the developmental stage, coreceptor expression, degree and stability of ligand-receptor engagement, and the availability of T cell-derived secondary signals. The author's laboratory is interested in defining the molecular processes linking B cell antigen receptor signaling to these specific cellular responses in the context of antigen-independent and dependent B cell development. Here our current progress and thinking with regard to the determination between negative selection and activation as it pertains to the transition from the immature- to the mature-stage B cell will be discussed.