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Immunologists may have discovered an additional role for B cells. Their research suggests the cells participate in the development of regulatory T cells (Tregs).
Until now, the only non-thymic cells known to aid Treg production were dendritic cells, which travel to the thymus to deliver antigens.
The new research, published in the Journal of Immunology, suggests B cells can do the same thing.
B cells were previously thought to specialize only in antibody production. With their newly discovered role, the cells become much more interesting and complex characters, according to the researchers.
The findings mean B cells could have useful applications for treating transplant patients and those with autoimmune disorders.
“Regulatory T cells are critical in the outcome of an immune response, so anything that regulates them becomes very interesting to immunologists,” said study author Shane Grey, PhD, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.
“Right now, there are clinical trials around the world looking to expand populations of these cells in patients. Researchers are also working on ways to grow regulatory cells in the laboratory—to infuse into patients as therapy. Our finding suggests it should be possible to set up systems that harness B cells to expand regulatory cells.”
Dr Grey and his colleagues worked with mice genetically modified to express high levels of BAFF, which increases B-cell survival. The higher number of B cells overall allowed researchers to track the activity of B cells in the thymus.
“It has been known for years that some B cells travel to the thymus, but no one has understood why,” said study author Stacey Walters, also of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
“Our experiments showed clearly that B cells participated in the creation of regulatory T cells. The more B cells that were in the thymus, the higher the number of regulatory cells generated. That direct correlation raises interesting possibilities. One possibility is using BAFF, a non-toxic substance, to ramp up the B-cell count of patients before transplant procedures.”
Research has suggested that Tregs can reduce the risk of graft-vs-host disease, promote enhanced immune reconstitution, and decrease the incidence of infectious complications in stem cell transplant recipients. And several studies have shown that high levels of Tregs can prevent graft rejection after solid organ transplant. 
Immunologists may have discovered an additional role for B cells. Their research suggests the cells participate in the development of regulatory T cells (Tregs).
Until now, the only non-thymic cells known to aid Treg production were dendritic cells, which travel to the thymus to deliver antigens.
The new research, published in the Journal of Immunology, suggests B cells can do the same thing.
B cells were previously thought to specialize only in antibody production. With their newly discovered role, the cells become much more interesting and complex characters, according to the researchers.
The findings mean B cells could have useful applications for treating transplant patients and those with autoimmune disorders.
“Regulatory T cells are critical in the outcome of an immune response, so anything that regulates them becomes very interesting to immunologists,” said study author Shane Grey, PhD, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.
“Right now, there are clinical trials around the world looking to expand populations of these cells in patients. Researchers are also working on ways to grow regulatory cells in the laboratory—to infuse into patients as therapy. Our finding suggests it should be possible to set up systems that harness B cells to expand regulatory cells.”
Dr Grey and his colleagues worked with mice genetically modified to express high levels of BAFF, which increases B-cell survival. The higher number of B cells overall allowed researchers to track the activity of B cells in the thymus.
“It has been known for years that some B cells travel to the thymus, but no one has understood why,” said study author Stacey Walters, also of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
“Our experiments showed clearly that B cells participated in the creation of regulatory T cells. The more B cells that were in the thymus, the higher the number of regulatory cells generated. That direct correlation raises interesting possibilities. One possibility is using BAFF, a non-toxic substance, to ramp up the B-cell count of patients before transplant procedures.”
Research has suggested that Tregs can reduce the risk of graft-vs-host disease, promote enhanced immune reconstitution, and decrease the incidence of infectious complications in stem cell transplant recipients. And several studies have shown that high levels of Tregs can prevent graft rejection after solid organ transplant.
Immunologists may have discovered an additional role for B cells. Their research suggests the cells participate in the development of regulatory T cells (Tregs).
Until now, the only non-thymic cells known to aid Treg production were dendritic cells, which travel to the thymus to deliver antigens.
The new research, published in the Journal of Immunology, suggests B cells can do the same thing.
B cells were previously thought to specialize only in antibody production. With their newly discovered role, the cells become much more interesting and complex characters, according to the researchers.
The findings mean B cells could have useful applications for treating transplant patients and those with autoimmune disorders.
“Regulatory T cells are critical in the outcome of an immune response, so anything that regulates them becomes very interesting to immunologists,” said study author Shane Grey, PhD, of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.
“Right now, there are clinical trials around the world looking to expand populations of these cells in patients. Researchers are also working on ways to grow regulatory cells in the laboratory—to infuse into patients as therapy. Our finding suggests it should be possible to set up systems that harness B cells to expand regulatory cells.”
Dr Grey and his colleagues worked with mice genetically modified to express high levels of BAFF, which increases B-cell survival. The higher number of B cells overall allowed researchers to track the activity of B cells in the thymus.
“It has been known for years that some B cells travel to the thymus, but no one has understood why,” said study author Stacey Walters, also of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.
“Our experiments showed clearly that B cells participated in the creation of regulatory T cells. The more B cells that were in the thymus, the higher the number of regulatory cells generated. That direct correlation raises interesting possibilities. One possibility is using BAFF, a non-toxic substance, to ramp up the B-cell count of patients before transplant procedures.”
Research has suggested that Tregs can reduce the risk of graft-vs-host disease, promote enhanced immune reconstitution, and decrease the incidence of infectious complications in stem cell transplant recipients. And several studies have shown that high levels of Tregs can prevent graft rejection after solid organ transplant.