title: Fate determination of mature autoreactive B cells.
abstract: A large antibody repertoire is generated in developing B cells in the bone marrow. Before these B cells achieve immunocompetence, those expressing autospecificities must be purged. To that end, B cells within the bone marrow and just following egress from the bone marrow are subject to tolerance induction. Once B cells achieve immunocompetence, the antibody repertoire can be further diversified by somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes in B cells that have been activated by antigen and cognate T cell help and have undergone a germinal center (GC) response. This process also leads to the generation of autoreactive B cells which must be again purged to protect the host. Thus, B cells within the GC and just following egress from the GC are also subject to tolerance induction. Available data suggest that B cell intrinsic processes triggered by signaling through the B cell receptor activate tolerance mechanisms at both time points. Recent data suggest that GC and post-GC B cells are also subject to B cell extrinsic tolerance mechanisms mediated through soluble and membrane-bound factors derived from various T cell subsets.
authors.affiliation: The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Center for Autoimmune and Musculoskeletal Diseases, Manhasset, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Yong-Rui
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Diamond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies