Abstract 2715 The Effects of Von Hippel-Lindau (Vhl) Gene Knockout on Bone Marrow Microenvironmets and B cell Development

In this work we investigate the microenvironmental niches that impact the maintenance and function of adult B lymphocytes. The development of strong antibody responses derived from B lymphocytes is influenced by the relatively low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in the primordial areas of the spleen and lymph nodes, however, there is little knowledge of the exact mechanisms by which these hypoxic conditions regulate B lymphocyte development in the bone marrow. The von Hippel-Lindau (Vhl) gene helps regulate the hypoxia response pathway.