title: B effector cells in rheumatoid arthritis and experimental arthritis.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune immune disease affecting approximately 1% of the population. There has been a renewed interest in the role of B cells in rheumatoid arthritis based on the evidence that B cell depletion therapy is effective in the treatment of disease. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the mechanisms by which B cells contribute to autoimmune arthritis including roles as autoantibody producing cells, antigen-presenting cells, cytokine producing cells, and regulatory cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Section of Rheumatology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. Alison_Finnegan@rush.edu
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finnegan
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashaye
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hamel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D015551:Autoimmunity; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D016207:Cytokines