Grant: Operating Grant

B lymphocytes are the cells in the immune system that produce antibodies to protect against infection. Specific receptors on the B cell surface transmit signals into the cell, initiating a series of biochemical events that ultimately lead to cell activation and antibody production. Rapid entry of calcium into the cell is one of the major events triggered by receptor signaling and is essential for many of the biochemical and biological processes that follow pathogen recognition. Despite this, the regulation of calcium entry into B cells remains poorly understood at the molecular level and could offer potential targets for strategic manipulation of humoral immunity. Research in the Deans laboratory has identified one of the major proteins involved in calcium entry triggered by receptor signaling in B cells; the proposed studies will examine the biological context of its role in B cell activation.