title: Human innate B cells: a link between host defense and autoimmunity?
abstract: B cells play a variety of immunoregulatory roles through their antigen-presentation ability and through cytokine and chemokine production. Innate immune activation of B cells may play a beneficial role through the generation of natural cross-reactive antibodies, by maintaining B cell memory and by exercising immunomodulatory functions that may provide protection against autoimmunity. In this article, we review human B cell populations and their functional properties, with a particular focus on a population of inherently autoreactive B cells, which seem to play an important physiological role in innate immunity, but which, if selected into adaptive immune responses, appear to become pathogenic agents in systemic lupus erythematosus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Unit, University of Rochester Medical School, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 695, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
authors.forename: Eric C B
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Milner
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anolik
authors.forename: Amedeo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cappione
authors.forename: Iñaki
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sanz
mesh_terms: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015551:Autoimmunity; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D018448:Models, Immunological
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum