CD19: lowering the threshold for antigen receptor stimulation of B lymphocytes. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Lymphocytes must proliferate and differentiate in response to low concentrations of a vast array of antigens. The requirements of broad specificity and sensitivity conflict because the former is met by low-affinity antigen receptors, which precludes achieving the latter with high-affinity receptors. Coligation of the membrane protein CD19 with the antigen receptor of B lymphocytes decreased the threshold for antigen receptor-dependent stimulation by two orders of magnitude. B lymphocytes proliferated when approximately 100 antigen receptors per cell, 0.03 percent of the total, were coligated with CD19. The B cell resolves its dilemma by having an accessory protein that enables activation when few antigen receptors are occupied.

publication date

  • April 3, 1992

Research

keywords

  • Antigens, CD
  • Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte
  • B-Lymphocytes
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0026587743

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1126/science.1373518

PubMed ID

  • 1373518

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 256

issue

  • 5053