Hanyang Med Rev.
2005 May;25(2):21-25.
B cells and autoantibody in RA pathogenesis
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Korea. leejisoo@ewha.ac.kr
Abstract
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic symmetric polyarthritis with autoimmune pathogenesis and is a cause of major disability. Although multiple theories involving B cells and autoantibody, T cell-mediated antigen specific responses, cytokine network, and aggressive tumor like behavior of synoviocytes have been implicated in RA, exact pathogenetic mechanism involved in initiation and propagation of the disease is still obscure. This article focuses on the role of B lymphocytes and autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of RA. An overview on normal B cell development and selection are presented, followed by discussion of role of autoantibodies in RA, and B cell targeted therapy in RA.
