B Cell Differentiation

B Cells in Immunity and Tolerance

This book contains twelve chapters contributed by prestigious international experts who are at the forefront of B cell research, and aims to provide a cutting-edge and comprehensive overview of all aspects of B cells, including B cell development, maturation and activation, germinal center reaction, memory and plasma cell differentiation, and antibody-mediated positive and negative regulation of humoral immune responses. There are also three chapters describing human diseases caused by B cell abnormalities, including primary antibody deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, and B cell malignancies. We hope that this book will become a standard and routine reference for both basic researchers and clinicians.

B Cell Receptor Signaling

This volume details our current understanding of the architecture and signaling capabilities of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) in health and disease. The first chapters review new insights into the assembly of BCR components and their organization on the cell surface. Subsequent contributions focus on the molecular interactions that connect the BCR with major intracellular signaling pathways such as Ca2+ mobilization, membrane phospholipid metabolism, nuclear translocation of NF-kB or the activation of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase and MAP kinases. These elements orchestrate cytoplasmic and nuclear responses as well as cytoskeleton dynamics for antigen internalization. Furthermore, a key mechanism of how B cells remember their cognate antigen is discussed in detail. Altogether, the discoveries presented provide a better understanding of B cell biology and help to explain some B cell-mediated pathogenicities, like autoimmune phenomena or the formation of B cell tumors, while also paving the way for eventually combating these diseases.

Molecular Biology of the Cell