What is it about?
The very first antibody therapy ever developed against cancer was directed against CD20, a molecule found on B cells of our immune system. However, the function of CD20 in the body remained unclear for a long time. Researchers led by Radboud University Medical Center have now shown that CD20 is crucial when B cells activate the immune response via T cells.
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Why is it important?
CD20, a membrane protein expressed on B cells, is a major therapeutic target in B cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Despite the clinical success of CD20-based immunotherapies, the function of CD20 is understudied. This study characterizes CD20 membrane organization and identifies the costimulatory molecule CD70 as a binding partner of CD20. We report a key role for CD20 in immune synapse formation between B and T cells, CD70 recruitment to the synapse and T cell activation. Thus, the clinical target CD20 is required for the interaction between B and T lymphocytes.
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This page is a summary of: CD70 recruitment to the immunological synapse is dependent on CD20 in B cells, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2414002122.
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