B-cell tolerance checkpoints in health and autoimmunity

E Meffre, H Wardemann - Current opinion in immunology, 2008 - Elsevier
E Meffre, H Wardemann
Current opinion in immunology, 2008Elsevier
The enormous diversity of the antibody repertoire is generated by two mechanisms:
recombination of immunoglobulin (Ig) gene variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene
segments during the early stages of B-cell development in the bone marrow and somatic
hypermutation (SHM) of functional Ig genes from antigen-activated B cells within secondary
lymphoid organs. Diversity by V (D) J recombination and SHM not only provides protective
humoral immunity but also generates potentially harmful clones expressing autoantibodies …
The enormous diversity of the antibody repertoire is generated by two mechanisms: recombination of immunoglobulin (Ig) gene variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments during the early stages of B-cell development in the bone marrow and somatic hypermutation (SHM) of functional Ig genes from antigen-activated B cells within secondary lymphoid organs. Diversity by V(D)J recombination and SHM not only provides protective humoral immunity but also generates potentially harmful clones expressing autoantibodies. Under normal circumstances, several mechanisms regulate the removal of autoreactive B cells and defects in central and peripheral B cell tolerance checkpoints are associated with the development of autoimmunity in humans.
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