B Lymphocytes: Development, Tolerance, and Their Role in Autoimmunity-Focus on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

B lymphocytes are the effectors of humoral immunity, providing defense against pathogens through different functions including antibody production. B cells constitute approximately 15% of peripheral blood leukocytes and arise from hemopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. It is here that their anti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Autoimmune Diseases 2013-01, Vol.2013 (2013), p.227-243
Main Authors: Tobón, Gabriel J., Izquierdo, Jorge H., Cañas, Carlos Alberto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies
Antigen-presenting cells
Antigens
Autoantibodies
Autoimmune diseases
B cells
Bone marrow
Cell activation
Cytokines
Dendritic cells
Genes
Humoral immunity
Immune system
Immunoglobulins
Immunological tolerance
Kinases
Leukocytes
Lupus
Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes B
Lymphocytes T
Peripheral blood
Physiological aspects
Physiological research
Plasma
Review
Spleen
Stem cells
Structure-function relationships
Systemic lupus erythematosus
T cell receptors
Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:B lymphocytes are the effectors of humoral immunity, providing defense against pathogens through different functions including antibody production. B cells constitute approximately 15% of peripheral blood leukocytes and arise from hemopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. It is here that their antigen receptors (surface immunoglobulin) are assembled. In the context of autoimmune diseases defined by B and/or T cell autoreactive that upon activation lead to chronic tissue inflammation and often irreversible structural and functional damage, B lymphocytes play an essential role by not only producing autoantibodies but also functioning as antigen-presenting cells (APC) and as a source of cytokines. In this paper, we describe B lymphocyte functions in autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases with a special focus on their abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus.
ISSN:2090-0430
2090-0422
2090-0430
DOI:10.1155/2013/827254