B-cell maturation antigen

B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), or Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 17 (TNFRSF17), is a 184 amino acid member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family. BCMA is a cell-surface receptor for TNFSF13B/BLyS/BAFF and TNFSF13/APRIL that ultimately activates NF-kappa-B and JNK. BCMA promotes B-cell survival and plays a role in the regulation of humoral immunity. BCMA is highly expressed on malignant plasma cells in hematologic cancers and B-cell lymphomas. A chromosomal aberration involving BCMA is found in a form of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).

Swiss-Prot Accession Number: Q02223