IL-7 receptor signaling is necessary for stage transition in adult B cell development through up-regulation of EBF.

Cytokine receptor signals have been suggested to stimulate cell differentiation during hemato/lymphopoiesis. Such action, however, has not been clearly demonstrated. Here, we show that adult B cell development in IL-7(-/-) and IL-7R alpha(2/-) mice is arrested at the pre-pro-B cell stage due to insufficient expression of the B cell-specific transcription factor EBF and its target genes, which form a transcription factor network in determining B lineage specification. EBF expression is restored in IL-7(-/-) pre-pro-B cells upon IL-7 stimulation or in IL-7R alpha(-/-) pre-pro-B cells by activation of STAT5, a major signaling molecule downstream of the IL-7R signaling pathway. Furthermore, enforced EBF expression partially rescues B cell development in IL-7R alpha(-/-) mice. Thus, IL-7 receptor signaling is a participant in the formation of the transcription factor network during B lymphopoiesis by up-regulating EBF, allowing stage transition from the pre-pro-B to further maturational stages.