Abstract
B-cell development is tightly regulated, including the induction of B-cell memory and antibody-secreting plasmablasts and plasma cells. In the last decade, we have expanded our understanding of effector functions of B cells as well as their roles in human autoimmune diseases. The current review addresses the role of certain stages of B-cell development as well as plasmablasts/plasma cells in immune regulation under normal and autoimmune conditions with particular emphasis on systemic lupus erythematosus. Based on preclinical and clinical data, B cells have emerged increasingly as both effector cells as well as cells with immunoregulatory potential.
Highlights
One of the major roles of cells of the B-cell lineage is to generate antibody-secreting plasmablasts and plasma cells and memory B cells with an enhanced capability to respond to the specific initiating antigen
The current review addresses the role of certain stages of B-cell development as well as plasmablasts/plasma cells in immune regulation under normal and autoimmune conditions with particular emphasis on systemic lupus erythematosus
There appear to be substantial differences between mice and humans in terms of the specifics of the Important for the interaction with T cells and the generation of germinal center (GC) reactions are a series of ligand-receptor interactions, including those mediated by CD154/CD40 and inducible costimulator ligand/inducible co-stimulator (ICOS-L/ICOS)
Summary
One of the major roles of cells of the B-cell lineage is to generate antibody-secreting plasmablasts and plasma cells and memory B cells with an enhanced capability to respond to the specific initiating antigen. After encountering antigen and Tcell help in follicles of secondary lymphoid organs, mature naïve B cells undergo germinal center (GC) reactions leading to their clonal expansion, somatic hypermutation of Ig gene rearrangements, and Ig heavy-chain class-switch recombination These complex molecular processes are unique capacities of B cells and ensure specific higher avidity binding by the B-cell receptor (BCR) and the production of antibodies with altered effector function. There appear to be substantial differences between mice and humans in terms of the specifics of the Important for the interaction with T cells and the generation of GC reactions are a series of ligand-receptor interactions, including those mediated by CD154/CD40 and inducible costimulator ligand/inducible co-stimulator (ICOS-L/ICOS) Defects in these interactions have been shown to lead to hyper-IgM syndrome, resulting in impaired plasma cell and memory B-cell generation, including B lymphopenia and adult-onset common variable hypogamamglobulinemia, respectively [9,10].
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