The role of cytokine receptor signaling in lymphocyte development

Cytokine receptor signaling plays an essential role in the early stag es of lymphocyte development. Signals through various cytokine receptors - such as c-kit, flt3/flk2, CXCR4, the IL-7 receptor and the IL-15 receptor - are known to promote the expansion and survival of uncommitted progenitor cells as well as their migration to the appropriate microenvironment and subsequ ent differentiation into B, T or natural killer cells, The reef nt generati on of mice deficient in one or more of these signaling pathways has reveale d which cytokines play unique and, or redundant roles in each of these lymp hocyte lineages during this developmental process.