Cell circuits between B cell progenitors and IL-7+ mesenchymal progenitor cells control B cell development

B cell progenitors require paracrine signals such as interleukin-7 (IL-7) provided by bone marrow stromal cells for proliferation and survival. Yet, how B cells regulate access to these signals in vivo remains unclear. Here we show that proB and IL-

Viral persistence redirects CD4 T cell differentiation toward T follicular helper cells

Persistent virus infection drives follicular T helper cell differentiation

Nidogen-1 Contributes to the Interaction Network Involved in Pro-B Cell Retention in the Peri-sinusoidal Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche

In the bone marrow, CXCL12 and IL-7 are essential for B cell differentiation, whereas hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance requires SCF and CXCL12. Peri-sinusoidal stromal (PSS) cells are the main source of IL-7, but their characterization as a pro-B cell niche remains limited. Here, we characterize pro-B cell supporting stromal cells and decipher the interaction network allowing pro-B cell retention. Preferential contacts are found between pro-B cells and PSS cells, which homogeneously express HSC and B cell niche genes. Furthermore, pro-B cells are frequently located in the vicinity of HSCs in the same niche. Using an interactome bioinformatics pipeline, we identify Nidogen-1 as essential for pro-B cell retention in the peri-sinusoidal niche as confirmed in Nidogen-1−/− mice. Finally, human pro-B cells and hematopoietic progenitors are observed close to similar IL-7+ stromal cells. Thus, a multispecific niche exists in mouse and human supporting both early progenitors and committed hematopoietic lineages

Factors of engagement: Secondary Pasifika student learning

Education within Aotearoa has not effectively engaged Pasifika students (Ministry of Education, 2023a), and has led to Pasifika students being less likely to continue to tertiary level education (Ministry of Education, 2023b). This review focuses on the published literature about factors that improve the conditions of schooling in Aotearoa to facilitate higher levels of engagement in Pasifika students. For this paper, 20 studies that were carried out in Aotearoa secondary schools with Pasifika students were collected. These studies were then analysed to understand what factors increased their engagement in secondary school. The findings suggest that student-teacher relationships, teachers’ perceptions of Pasifika students, and effective implementation of culturally responsive pedagogies have the greatest impact on Pasifika student engagement in their secondary school career