To B or not to B the conductor of Rheumatoid Arthritis orchestra

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that mainly targets the joints. Several lines of evidence have pointed to B cell function as a critical factor in the development of RA. B cells play several roles in th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology 2012-12, Vol.43 (3), p.281-291
Main Authors: Moura, Rita, Silva Graca, Luis Ricardo, Fonseca, João
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allergology
Antigen presentation
Arthritis
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - etiology
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - immunology
Arthritis, Rheumatoid - pathology
Autoantibodies
Autoimmunity
B cells
B-Lymphocytes - immunology
B-Lymphocytes - pathology
Cell activation
Conductors
Cytokines
Developmental biology
Humans
Immunology
Inflammatory diseases
Internal Medicine
Joint diseases
Lymphocytes B
Lymphocytes T
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Organogenesis
Reviews
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid factor
Rituximab
Synovium
T cells
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Summary:© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated inflammatory disorder that mainly targets the joints. Several lines of evidence have pointed to B cell function as a critical factor in the development of RA. B cells play several roles in the pathogenesis of RA, such as autoantibody production, antigen presentation and T cell activation, cytokine release, and ectopic lymphoid organogenesis. The success of B cell depletion therapy in RA further supports the relevance of these cells in RA progression. In addition, recent studies have also highlighted the B cell role in the first weeks of RA onset. The present article is a review focused in the immunopathogenic B cell-dependent mechanisms associated with RA development and chronicity and the importance of the recent discoveries documented in untreated very early RA patients with less than 6 weeks of disease duration.
ISSN:1080-0549
1559-0267
DOI:10.1007/s12016-012-8318-y