Positive and negative selection during B lymphocyte development.

Our laboratory is interested in a variety of issues related to lymphocyte development. More specifically, we have focused on the processes that regulate the decision to commit to the B lymphocyte (B cell) lineage, then the subsequent signals that are involved in maintaining this commitment to the B cell lineage. These signals result in the positive selection of those B cells that properly execute the complex genetic changes associated with B cell development, then trigger the elimination of B cells that are responsive to self-antigens and, therefore, possess the potential to mediate autoimmune disease.