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Perspective
Nature Reviews Immunology 8, 391–397 (1 May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nri2315
Not always the bad guys: B cells as regulators of autoimmune pathology
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Abstract
When B cells react aggressively against self, the potential for pathology is extreme. It is therefore not surprising that B-cell depletion is seen as an attractive therapy in autoimmune diseases. However, B cells can also be essential for restraining unwanted autoaggressive T-cell responses. Recent advances have pointed to interleukin-10 (IL-10) production as a key component in B-cell-mediated immune regulation. In this Opinion article, we develop a hypothesis that triggering of Toll-like receptors controls the propensity of B cells for IL-10 production and immune suppression. According to this model, B cells can translate exposure to certain microbial infections into protection from chronic inflammatory diseases.
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