Authors: Cox, S Lewis; Silveira, Pablo A

Source: Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, Volume 5, Number 3, May 2009 , pp. 311-324(14)

Publisher: Expert Reviews

Abstract:

Self-reactive B lymphocytes play two main pathological roles in autoimmune diseases: as secretors of autoantibodies and as specialized antigen-presenting cells that present self-components to autoreactive T lymphocytes. In recognition of these roles, recent clinical trials have utilized B-lymphocyte-depleting monoclonal antibodies to treat various autoimmune diseases, with encouraging results in those where humoral autoimmunity is clearly important. Surprisingly, recent results in animal models suggest that B-lymphocyte depletion may also be effective in the treatment of T-lymphocyte-mediated autoimmune diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes (T1D). This article reviews the experimental evidence that has uncovered pathogenic as well as regulatory roles for B lymphocytes in the prodrome of T1D and how this information is being used to develop novel therapeutic strategies to treat the disease.

Keywords: antigen-presenting cell; autoantibody; autoimmunity; B cell; immune tolerance; NOD mouse; susceptibility gene; Type 1 diabetes

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1586/eci.09.4

Affiliations: 1: Immunology Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia., Email: l.cox@garvan.org.au

Publication date: 2009-05-01

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• Expert Review of Clinical Immunology provides expert analysis and commentary regarding the performance of new therapeutic and diagnostic modalities in disease states with a strong immunologic component, such as allergic asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis
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