B-cell Anergy: from Transgenic Models to Naturally Occurring Anergic B Cells?

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Immunol

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2007 Jul 21

PMID 17641666

Citations 180

Authors

John C Cambier

Stephen B Gauld

Kevin T Merrell

Barbara J Vilen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Anergy, a condition in which cells persist in the periphery but are unresponsive to antigen, is responsible for silencing many self-reactive B cells. Loss of anergy is known to contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and type 1 diabetes. Multiple transgenic mouse models have enabled the dissection of mechanisms that underlie anergy, and recently, anergic B cells have been identified in the periphery of wild-type mice. Heterogeneity of mechanistic concepts developed using model systems has complicated our understanding of anergy and its biological features. In this Review, we compare and contrast the salient features of anergic B cells with a view to developing unifying mechanistic hypotheses that explain their lifestyles.

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