Regulatory and effector B cells: Friends or foes?

Abstract

B cells have moved to the center stage in many autoimmune diseases including autoantibody-mediated diseases and T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. B cells play an important role for immune response beyond antibody production through mechanisms like antigen presentation and cytokine production. However, not all B cells positively regulate immune responses. Regulatory B cells negatively regulate immune responses by production of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10, IL-35, and TGF-β. Regulatory B cells have been found to be decreased and/or functionally impaired in various autoimmune diseases. In contrast, B cells also produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IFN-γ and GM - CSF. These effector B cells contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Regulatory and effector B cell balance regulates immune response through the release of cytokines. Furthermore, a protocol that selectively depletes effector B cells while sparing regulatory B cells would represent a potent therapy for autoimmune diseases rather than pan-B cell depletion using anti-CD20 mAb.

Keywords: B cells; BAFF; Cytokine; Effector B cells; IL-10; IL-6; Regulatory B cells; Systemic lupus erythematosus; Systemic sclerosis.