The vesicle structures in the human body act as important messengers in the cells, and they regulate e.g. the spatiotemporal receptor delivery to the cell surface during cell migration or upon release of enzymes. B cells, the armed forces in the immune system, get activated and attack invading pathogens with the help of these vesicles. Thus, recognizing the mechanisms that activate the B cell vesicles is crucial. The aim of this project is to study the mechanisms by which lysosome- and extracellular vesicles (EV) function in B cell activation. We utilize pharmacological targeting and fine microscopy techniques to resolve these functions in B cell activation. We will use human B cell lines and B cell lymphoma-, lymphoid- and blood samples from healthy and diseased donors. With the new openings we expect to generate significant data on lysosome and EV functions in B cells. This project is performed at the Institute of Biomedicine (University of Turku) and with collaborating laboratories.

2023

2027