title: B cells in transplantation.
abstract: B cell responses underlie the most vexing immunological barriers to organ transplantation. Much has been learned about the molecular mechanisms of B cell responses to antigen and new therapeutic agents that specifically target B cells or suppress their functions are available. Yet, despite recent advances, there remains an incomplete understanding about how B cell functions determine the fate of organ transplants and how, whether or when potent new therapeutics should optimally be used. This gap in understanding reflects in part the realization that besides producing antibodies, B cells can also regulate cellular immunity, contribute to the genesis of tolerance and induce accommodation. Whether non-specific depletion of B cells, their progeny or suppression of their functions would undermine these non-cognate functions and whether graft outcome would suffer as a result is unknown. These questions were discussed at a symposium on "B cells in transplantation" at the 2015 ISHLT annual meeting. Those discussions are summarized here and a new perspective is offered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Alberta Transplant Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Esme I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Dijke
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Jeffrey L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Platt
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine, University College of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge,United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Menna R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Clatworthy
authors.affiliation: Cedars Sinai Heart Institute, Beverly Hills, California.
authors.forename: Jignesh K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, Utah.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kfoury
authors.affiliation: Departments of Surgery and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Electronic address: marilia@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Marilia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cascalho
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D023001:Transplantation Tolerance
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies
keywords: B lymphocytes; accommodation; antibodies; rejection; tolerance