title: Therapeutic potential of regulatory cytokines that target B cells.
abstract: Autoreactive B cells play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases by producing auto-antibodies and presenting antigens. Regulatory cytokines that simultaneously suppress multiple pathways have the potential to control autoreactive B cells. The generally inhibitory cytokine IL-10 may have a stimulatory effect on human B-cell survival and antibody production. TGF-β family cytokines can decrease or increase antibody production and can suppress B-cell proliferation and differentiation. In contrast to TGF-β1, which induces extensive fibrosis, TGF-β3 and bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP-6)/BMP-7 induce non-scarring wound healing and counteract tissue fibrosis. Therefore, TGF-β3 and BMP-6/BMP-7 may be clinically applicable as therapeutic cytokines that target B cells. Recent progress in protein engineering may enable us to generate novel biologic therapies based on TGF-β family cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan kfujio-tky@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujio
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan Max Planck-The University of Tokyo Center for Integrative Inflammology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sumitomo
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan Max Planck-The University of Tokyo Center for Integrative Inflammology, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D056747:Immunomodulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051898:Smad1 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D051902:Smad5 Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D051898:Smad1 Protein; D051902:Smad5 Protein
keywords: B cell; BMP; TGF-beta; regulatory T cell