title: The role of BAFF in the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common autoimmune disease that is marked by a systemic inflammatory reaction and joint erosions. Elevated levels of B cell activating factor (BAFF) have been detected in the serum and synovial fluid of RA patients. Moreover, the levels of BAFF increase in cases of autoimmune disease and are correlated with the level of disease activity. As an innate cytokine mediator, BAFF affects the immune response of the synovial microenvironment. In this review, we consider recent observations of BAFF and its receptors in RA progression, as well as the effects of BAFF on the cell-cell interactions network. We also summarize the clinical development of BAFF antagonists for the treatment of RA.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine of Education Ministry of China, Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei 230032, China; Department of Pharmacy, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu 233000, China. Electronic address: weifangmailbox@126.com.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine of Education Ministry of China, Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei 230032, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine of Education Ministry of China, Anhui Collaborative Innovation Center of Anti-inflammatory and Immune Medicine, Hefei 230032, China. Electronic address: wwei@ahmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000473:pathology*; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D053265:B-Cell Activation Factor Receptor / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D053265:B-Cell Activation Factor Receptor; C435926:TNFRSF13C protein, human; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human
keywords: B cell activating factor; BAFF-R; BCMA; Immune cells; Rheumatoid arthritis; TACI