Floating the raft hypothesis: the roles of lipid rafts in B cell antigen receptor function

• Published in: Seminars in immunology Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 107 - 114
• Main Authors: Cheng, Paul C., Cherukuri, Anu, Dykstra, Michelle, Malapati, Sunil, Sproul, Tim, Chen, Michael R., Pierce, Susan K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2001
• Subjects: antigen processing / B cell development / CD19/CD21 coreceptor / Epstein–Barr Virus / signal transduction; Antigens - immunology; Antigens, CD19 - immunology; B-Lymphocytes - cytology; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Biological Transport; Cell Differentiation; Herpesvirus 4, Human - immunology; Humans; Membrane Microdomains - immunology; Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell - immunology; Receptors, Complement 3d - immunology; Signal Transduction - immunology; antigen processing / B cell development / CD19/CD21 coreceptor / Epstein–Barr Virus / signal transduction
• ISSN: 1044-5323; 1096-3618
• DOI: 10.1006/smim.2000.0302

The initiation of antibody responses to foreign antigens requires that B cells receive and integrate a variety of signals through an array of cell surface receptors including the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) as well as a number of essential coreceptors. Recent evidence indicates that cholesterol-rich plasma membrane microdomains, referred to here as lipid rafts, serve as platforms for BCR signaling and trafficking in B cells. The existence of rafts suggests a previously unappreciated level of organization at the B cell surface that may explain, at least in part, how BCR signaling is coordinated. Here the current evidence that lipid rafts play a key role in B cell responses is reviewed.