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http://hdl.handle.net/1942/20243
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Title: | B Cells Are Multifunctional Players in Multiple Sclerosis Pathogenesis: insights from Therapeutic interventions |
Authors: | Claes, Nele Fraussen, Judith Stinissen, Piet Hupperts, Raymond Somers, Veerle |
Issue Date: | 2015 |
Citation: | Frontiers in Immunology, 6, Art. N° 642 |
Abstract: | Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a severe disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by autoimmune inflammation and neurodegeneration. Historically, damage to the CNS was thought to be mediated predominantly by activated pro-inflammatory T cells.
B cell involvement in the pathogenesis of MS was solely attributed to autoantibody production. The first clues for the involvement of antibody-independent B cell functions in MS pathology came from positive results in clinical trials of the B cell-depleting treatment rituximab in patients with relapsing-remitting (RR) MS. The survival of antibody-secreting plasma cells and decrease in T cell numbers indicated the importance of other B cell functions in MS such as antigen presentation, costimulation, and cytokine production. Rituximab provided us with an example of how clinical trials can lead to new research
opportunities concerning B cell biology. Moreover, analysis of the antibody-independent B cell functions in MS has gained interest since these trials. Limited information is present on the effects of current immunomodulatory therapies on B cell functions, although effects of both first-line (interferon, glatiramer acetate, dimethyl fumarate, and teriflunomide), second-line (fingolimod, natalizumab), and even third-line (monoclonal antibody therapies) treatments on B cell subtype distribution, expression of functional surface markers, and secretion of different cytokines by B cells have been studied to
some extent. In this review, we summarize the effects of different MS-related treatments on B cell functions that have been described up to now in order to find new research opportunities and contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of MS. |
Notes: | Correspondence:
Somers Veerle
veerle.somers@uhasselt.be |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/20243 |
DOI: | 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00642 |
ISI #: | 000367058600001 |
ISSN: | 1664-3224 |
Category: | A1 |
Type: | Journal Contribution |
Validation: | ecoom, 2017
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Appears in Collections: | Research publications
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