Cytokine production by human B cells: role in health and autoimmune disease |
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| Authors: | Nina M de Gruijter Bethany Jebson Elizabeth C Rosser |
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| Affiliation: | Centre for Adolescent Rheumatology Versus Arthritis at University College London, University College London Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, UK;Centre for Rheumatology Research, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK;University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK |
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| Abstract: | B cells are classically considered solely as antibody-producing cells driving humoral immune responses to foreign antigens in infections and vaccinations as well as self-antigens in pathological settings such as autoimmunity. However, it has now become clear that B cells can also secrete a vast array of cytokines, which influence both pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses. Indeed, similarly to T cells, there is significant heterogeneity in cytokine-driven responses by B cells, ranging from the production of pro-inflammatory effector cytokines such as IL-6, through to the release of immunosuppressive cytokines such as IL-10. In this review, focusing on human B cells, we summarize the key findings that have revealed that cytokine-producing B cell subsets have critical functions in healthy immune responses and contribute to the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases. |
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| Keywords: | B cells cytokine inflammation autoimmunity |
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