Atypical B Cell Receptor Signaling: Straddling Immune Diseases and Cancer

Abstract

The B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway plays an essential role in the survival, proliferation, differentiation and trafficking of lymphocytic. Recent findings associate aberrant BCR signaling with specific disease pathologies, including B-cell malignancies and autoimmune disorders. Inhibition of the BCR signaling pathway may therefore provide promising new strategies for the treatment of B-cell diseases. This special issue of International Reviews of Immunology focuses on atypical B-cell receptor signaling, its role in immune diseases and cancer, and its implications for potential therapeutic intervention.

Keywords :

• B-cell survival
• B-lymphocyte pathogenesis
• chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• systemic lupus erythematosus