Patients with Lupus: Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Fail to Induce Regulatory B Cells

“Our data suggest that the immune regulatory feedback between CD24⁺CD38^hi Breg cells and pDCs that is in place in healthy individuals is dysfunctional in SLE patients, but that this feedback is normalized in patients who respond to rituximab. It is tempting to suggest that when sufficient CD24⁺CD38^hi Breg cells have been generated at a site of inflammation by IFNα⁺ pDCs or after CD40^–CD40^L interactions with T cells, for instance, Breg cells can then prevent pDCs from producing excessive IFNα that would otherwise drive chronic inflammation,” explained the authors.

Lara C. Pullen, PhD, is a medical writer based in the Chicago area.

Reference

1. Menon M, Blair PA, Isenberg DA, et al. A regulatory feedback between plasmacytoid dendritic cells and regulatory B cells is aberrant in systemic lupus erythematosus. Immunity. 2016 Mar 15;44(3):683–697. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.02.012. Epub 2016 Mar 8.