title: B cells in glomerulonephritis: focus on lupus nephritis.
abstract: The production of pathogenic antibody has been traditionally viewed as the principle contribution of B cells to the pathogenesis of immune-mediated glomerulonephritis. However, it is increasingly appreciated that B cells play a much broader role in such diseases, functioning as antigen-presenting cells, regulators of T cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages and orchestrators of local lymphatic expansion. In this review, we provide an overview of basic B cell biology and consider the evidence implicating B cells in one of the archetypal immune-mediated glomerulonephritides, lupus nephritis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Renal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Lab 5.15, Box 139 Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, CB2 2XY, UK. mrc38@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Menna R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Clatworthy
authors.forename: Kenneth G C
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies