Journal
NATURE
Volume 449, Issue 7161, Pages 473-U8Publisher
NATURE PORTFOLIO
DOI: 10.1038/nature06159
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Lineage commitment and differentiation to a mature cell type are considered to be unidirectional and irreversible processes under physiological conditions(1). The commitment of haematopoietic progenitors to the B-cell lineage(2,3) and their development to mature B lymphocytes(4,5) critically depend on the transcription factor encoded by the paired box gene 5 (Pax5). Here we show that conditional Pax5 deletion in mice allowed mature B cells from peripheral lymphoid organs to dedifferentiate in vivo back to early uncommitted progenitors in the bone marrow, which rescued T lymphopoiesis in the thymus of T-cell-deficient mice. These B-cell-derived T lymphocytes carried not only immunoglobulin heavy- and light-chain gene rearrangements but also participated as functional T cells in immune reactions. Mice lacking Pax5 in mature B cells also developed aggressive lymphomas, which were identified by their gene expression profile as progenitor cell tumours. Hence, the complete loss of Pax5 in late B cells could initiate lymphoma development and uncovered an extraordinary plasticity of mature peripheral B cells despite their advanced differentiation stage.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available