To "B" or not to "B", the answer is "Oct2"

This research, published in the journal Nature Immunology on September 23, combines computational analysis, advanced molecular biology, and genomics technology to identify a protein called Oct2, which is a B cell body fluid A key determinant of the immune response

During infection or after vaccination, mature B cells form a kind of pop-up training facility "germinal center"

"All of our cells have a defense mechanism to prevent mutations, but B cells are just the opposite

Previous studies have shown that B cells control the maturation of their germinal centers by changing the accessibility of different parts of their genomes, and trigger a cascade of changes in gene expression to guide and limit their development

To answer this question, Ashley Doane, a student at Weill Cornell Medical School, and his colleagues at Weill Cornell Medicine and Rockefeller University first adopted A computational method that maps all the gene regulatory changes experienced by mature B cells

Dr.

However, the distribution of OCT2 in the germinal center is surprisingly similar to the distribution of mature B cells before activation

Dr.

The concept of cell fate—and the identification of its specific mechanism—may be the most profound discovery of this paper

"I think this may be a profound discovery that can be applied to many different transitions between cell types," said co-senior author Dr.

For example, during embryonic development, a single cell divides and matures into all cells of a complete organism, following a series of branch decision points, which may use similar mechanisms to label super enhancers for later activation

Targeting master regulators such as OCT2 and OCA-B, or the corresponding factors of other cell types, can also provide a powerful new method to attack cancer

"Usually you will see that if a gene is really important in maintaining the cancer state, then that gene will tend to be regulated by a super enhancer," said Dr.

Destroying the ability of tumor cells to form key cell types, specific super-enhancers can effectively destroy them, shutting down their entire survival strategy

Doane, AS, Chu, CS.