From Loops to Looks: Transcription Factors and Chromatin Organization Shaping Terminal B Cell Differentiation

Abstract

B lymphopoiesis is tightly regulated at the level of gene transcription. In recent years, investigators have shed light on the transcription factor networks and the epigenetic machinery involved at all differentiation steps of mammalian B cell development. During terminal differentiation, B cells undergo dramatic changes in gene transcriptional programs to generate germinal center B cells, plasma cells and memory B cells. Recent evidence indicates that mature B cell formation involves an essential contribution from 3D chromatin conformations through its interplay with transcription factors and epigenetic machinery. Here, we provide an up-to-date overview of the coordination between transcription factors, epigenetic changes, and chromatin architecture during terminal B cell differentiation, focusing on recent discoveries and technical advances for studying 3D chromatin structures.

Keywords: 3D chromatin architecture; B lymphocyte differentiation; DNA loops; chromosome conformation capture (3C); transcription factors.