Altered B cell signalling in autoimmunity #MMPMID28393923
Rawlings DJ; Metzler G; Wray-Dutra M; Jackson SW
Nat Rev Immunol 2017[Jul]; 17 (7): 421-36 PMID28393923show ga
Recent work has provided new insights into how altered B cell-intrinsic signals ? through the B cell receptor (BCR) and key co-receptors ? function together to promote the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. These combined signals affect B cells at two distinct stages: first, in the selection of the naive repertoire; and second, during extrafollicular or germinal centre activation responses. Thus, dysregulated signalling can lead to both an altered naive BCR repertoire and the generation of autoantibody-producing B cells. Strikingly, high-affinity autoantibodies predate and predict disease in several autoimmune disorders, including type 1 diabetes and systemic lupus erythematosus. This Review summarizes how, rather than being a downstream consequence of autoreactive T cell activation, dysregulated B cell signalling can function as a primary driver of many human autoimmune diseases.