title: B cells in autoimmune diseases: insights from analyses of immunoglobulin variable (Ig V) gene usage.
abstract: The role of B cells in autoimmune diseases has not been fully elucidated. It is also unclear whether breaking of B cell tolerance in patients with autoimmune diseases is due to underlying defects in the molecular mechanisms involved in the arrangement of antibody genes or deficiencies in the subsequent selective influences that shape the antibody repertoire. Analysis of immunoglobulin (Ig) variable (V) gene usage is beginning to provide answers to some of these questions. Such analyses have identified some differences in the basic Ig V gene repertoire of patients with autoimmune diseases compared to healthy controls, even though none of these differences can be considered major. Defects in positive and negative selection, mutational targeting and, in some cases, receptor editing have also been detected. In addition, analysis of Ig V gene usage in target organs and tissues of patients with autoimmune diseases has clearly demonstrated that there is a highly compartmentalized clonal expansion of B cells driven by a limited number of antigens in these tissues. Great progress has been made in the structural and functional characterization of disease-associated antibodies, largely because of the development of the combinatorial library technique. Use of antibodies generated by this technique offers great promise in identifying B cell epitopes on known target antigens and in gaining greater insights into the pathogenic role of B cells in both B and T cell mediated autoimmune diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California at Davis School of Medicine, Davis, CA 95616, USA. alforeman@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Angela Lee
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Foreman
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van de Water
authors.forename: Marie-Lise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Gougeon
authors.forename: M Eric
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gershwin
mesh_terms: D000916:Antibody Diversity / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D015326:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Heavy Chain; D015328:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte, Light Chain; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D027041:Somatic Hypermutation, Immunoglobulin; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region