Skip Navigation

Rheumatology 2005 44(Supplement 2):ii3-ii7; doi:10.1093/rheumatology/keh616
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Panayi, G. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Panayi, G. S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Rheumatoid Arthritis
Right arrow Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Autoimmunity
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

Supplement Article

B cells: a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis?

G. S. Panayi

Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College, London, UK.

Correspondence to: G. S. Panayi, Department of Rheumatology, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Medical School, Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' Street, London SE1 9RT, UK. E-mail: gabriel.panayi{at}kcl.ac.uk

The role of T cells in the pathogenesis of RA is well established, whereas to date the precise contribution of B cells is less well defined. B cells have many potential key roles: they can act as antigen-presenting cells, secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines (including tumour necrosis factor-{alpha}), produce rheumatoid factor (RF) and other autoantibodies and activate T cells. B cells act as antigen-presenting cells by processing and presenting antigenic peptides to T cells, which become activated, proliferate and exert pro-inflammatory activities. RF may also play a role in perpetuating B-cell activation and antigen presentation to T cells, thus leading to sustained production of RF. This, combined with RF immune-complex-mediated complement activation, may contribute to the sustained inflammatory response. Studies have shown that the use of an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody in RA depletes circulating B cells, resulting in improvement in disease activity for up to 1 yr. It is thus evident that B cells play a central role in the pathophysiology of RA and therefore merit further investigation as a therapeutic target.

KEY WORDS: B cells, Rheumatoid arthritis, Rheumatoid factor, Rituximab, T cells


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 DTBHome page
Rituximab and {blacktriangledown}abatacept for rheumatoid arthritis
DTB, August 1, 2008; 46(8): 57 - 61.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Rheumatology (Oxford)Home page
J. D. Isaacs
Therapeutic T-cell manipulation in rheumatoid arthritis: past, present and future
Rheumatology, May 25, 2008; (2008) ken163v1.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Immunol.Home page
K. Yanaba, Y. Hamaguchi, G. M. Venturi, D. A. Steeber, E. W. St. Clair, and T. F. Tedder
B Cell Depletion Delays Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice: Arthritis Induction Requires Synergy between Humoral and Cell-Mediated Immunity
J. Immunol., July 15, 2007; 179(2): 1369 - 1380.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.