title: B cells in spontaneous autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system.
abstract: B cells and their secreted products participate in the intricate network of pathogenic and regulatory immune responses. In human autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes, a role for B cells and antibodies is well established. However, in multiple sclerosis (MS), despite the presence of autoantibodies, B cells were less considered as a major participant of autoimmune processes, until recently. Several lines of evidence now indicate a more active role for B cells in disease pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss the diverse roles of B cells in autoimmune diseases with particular focus on multiple sclerosis and its animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) as well as the recently generated spontaneous EAE mouse models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroimmunology, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Am Klopferspitz 18, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Berer
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wekerle
authors.forename: Gurumoorthy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Krishnamoorthy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000276:immunology; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies