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Current Concepts in Autoimmunity and Chronic Inflammation pp 1–23Cite as

B Cell Tolerance—How to Make It and How to Break It

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Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 305))

Abstract

A series of checkpoints for antigen receptor fitness and specificity during B cell development ensures the elimination or anergy of primary, high-avidity — autoantigen-reactive B cells. Defects in genes encoding molecules with which this purging of the original B cell repertoires is achieved may break this B cell tolerance, allowing the development of B cell- and autoantibody-mediated immune diseases. Furthermore, whenever tolerance of helper T cells to a part of an autoantigen is broken, a T cell-dependent germinal center-type response of the remaining low — or no — autoreactive B cells is activated. It induces longevity of these B cells, and expression of AiD, which effects Ig class switching and IgV-region hypermutation. The development of V-region-mutant B cells and the selections of high-avidity — autoantigen-reactive antibodies producing B cells by autoantigens from them, again, can lead to the development and propagation of autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus or chronic inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis by the autoantibody BcR-expressing B cells and their secreted autoantibodies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstrasse 50-70, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    F. Melchers

  2. Campus Charite, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Schumannstrasse 21-22, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    F. Melchers

  3. Developmental and Molecular Immunology, Center for Biomedicine, University of Basel, DKBW, Mattenstrasse 28, 4058, Basel, Switzerland

    A. R. Rolink

Authors
  1. F. Melchers
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  2. A. R. Rolink
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum Berlin (DRFZ), Schumannstr.21/22, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Andreas Radbruch Ph.D.

  2. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1560, USA

    Peter E. Lipsky MD

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Melchers, F., Rolink, A.R. (2006). B Cell Tolerance—How to Make It and How to Break It. In: Radbruch, A., Lipsky, P.E. (eds) Current Concepts in Autoimmunity and Chronic Inflammation. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 305. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg . https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29714-6_1

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