• Gene Information: TNFRSF17 (Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily Member 17), encoding the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). Essential for B-cell differentiation, long-term humoral immunity, and plasma cell survival. 
• Protein Expression: Highly restricted; primarily expressed on late memory B cells, plasmablasts, and normal plasma cells. Absent on naïve B cells and most non-hematopoietic tissues. Uniformly and heavily overexpressed on multiple myeloma (MM) cells, as well as certain B-cell malignancies. 
• Signaling Pathway: Binds with high affinity to APRIL (A proliferation-inducing ligand) and BAFF (B-cell activating factor). Activates pro-survival pathways including NF-kB, PI3K/AKT, and MAPK/ERK, which drive tumor cell proliferation and inhibit apoptosis. 
• Therapeutic Inhibition: One of the most successful immunotherapy targets for MM. Therapeutic inhibition of BCMA utilizes CAR-T cells, bispecific antibodies, and ADCs to effectively target and destroy malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma. In addition, BCMA-targeting therapies are being actively explored in autoimmune diseases, where depletion of pathogenic B cells and plasma cells may help restore immune tolerance and achieve durable disease control.

Strain specific analysis of BCMA gene expression in wild-type mice and B-hBCMA mice by RT-PCR. Spleen RNA was isolated from wild-type C57BL/6JNifdc mice (+/+) and homozygous B-hBCMA mice (H/H), and then cDNA libraries were synthesized by reverse transcription, followed by PCR with mouse and human BCMA primers.

Strain specific soluble BCMA expression analysis in serum from homozygous of B-hBCMA mice by MSD. Serum were collected from wild-type C57BL/6 mice and homozygous B-hBCMA mice (n=3 per group). Values are expressed as mean ± SEM. Significance was determined by unpaired t-Test. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001.