title: Revisiting the role of B cells in skin immune surveillance.
abstract: Whereas our understanding of the skin immune system has increased exponentially in recent years, the role of B cells in cutaneous immunity remains poorly defined. Recent studies have revealed the presence of B cells within lymphocytic infiltrates in chronic inflammatory skin diseases and cutaneous malignancies including melanoma, and have examined their functional significance in these settings. We review these findings and discuss them in the context of the current understanding of the role of B cells in normal skin physiology, as well as in both animal and human models of skin pathology. We integrate these findings into a model of cutaneous immunity wherein crosstalk between B cells and other skin-resident immune cells plays a central role in skin immune homeostasis.
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Medicine and Immunotherapy Unit, St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Isioma U
authors.initials: IU
authors.lastname: Egbuniwe
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Medicine and Immunotherapy Unit, St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Sophia N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Karagiannis
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Medicine and Immunotherapy Unit, St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK. Electronic address: frank.nestle@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Frank O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Nestle
authors.affiliation: Cutaneous Medicine and Immunotherapy Unit, St. John's Institute of Dermatology, Division of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals and King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK. Electronic address: katie.lacy@gstt.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Katie E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lacy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000276:immunology; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
keywords: B cell; skin immune system; skin pathology; skin surveillance; skin-homing lymphocyte