In Disease
Mutations in CD19 are associated with severe immunodeficiency syndromes characterized by diminished antibody production.
Since CD19 is a hallmark of B-cells, the protein has been used to diagnose cancers that arise from this type of cell - notably B-cell lymphomas. More recently, treatments targeting CD19 have begun to enter trials. Most current experimental anti-CD19 drugs in development work by exploiting the presence of CD19 to direct treatment specifically towards B-cell cancers. However, it is now emerging that the protein plays an active role in driving the growth of these cancers, most intriguingly by stabilising the concentrations of the MYC oncoprotein. This suggests that CD19 and its downstream signalling may be a more attractive therapeutic target than suspected
CD19 has also been implicated in autoimmune diseases and may be a useful treatment target.
Read more about this topic: CD19
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