Dr. Webb's long-term goal has been to develop a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in B lymphocyte development and antibody production. A major focus of the lab has been to understand the function of the ARID (A+T interaction domain, AT-rich interaction domain) family member ARID3a, or Bright (B cell regulator of immunoglobulin transcription), in this process. Several years ago wthey showed that Bright upregulates immunoglobulin heavy chain transcription as a member of a protein complex containing Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) and the ubiquitously expressed transcription factor TFII-I. Deficiencies in Btk result in immunodeficiency disease in both mice and humans and some of her work has focused on how inhibition of Bright function may cause immunodeficiency.