title: Levels of BAFF in serum in primary biliary cirrhosis and autoimmune diabetes.
abstract: Levels of the B-cell activating cytokine BAFF are increased in serum in various autoimmune disease, and particularly Sjögren's syndrome in which there is evident B-lymphocyte proliferation. Studies in two autoimmune disease in which B-cell proliferation is less evident, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and adult-onset Type 1 diabetes, showed serum levels of BAFF to be mostly in the normal range. A single raised level among eight sera tested in one patient studied with autoimmune hepatitis (AH) coincided with a relapse of the disease. Increased levels of BAFF in human sera, indexing a potent antigenic drive on B-cell production and survival in some autoimmune diseases, may mark only particular stages in the evolution of such diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University Clayton Campus, Victoria 3800, Australia.
authors.forename: I R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Mackay
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Groom
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Mackay
mesh_terms: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha