Journal
JOURNAL OF HEART AND LUNG TRANSPLANTATION
Volume 35, Issue 6, Pages 704-710Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.healun.2016.01.1232
Keywords
B lymphocytes; antibodies; accommodation; tolerance; rejection
Funding
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research through the Canadian National Transplant Research Program
- National Institutes of Health
- National Institute for Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
- University of Michigan Translation Award [MICHR-T1]
- International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Research Fellowship
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B cell responses underlie the most vexing immunological barriers to organ transplantation. Much has been learned about the molecular mechanisms of B cell responses to antigen and new therapeutic agents that specifically target B cells or suppress their functions are available. Yet, despite recent advances, there remains an incomplete understanding about how B cell functions determine the fate of organ transplants and how, whether or when potent new therapeutics should optimally be used. This gap in understanding reflects in part the realization that besides producing antibodies, B cells can also regulate cellular immunity, contribute to the genesis of tolerance and induce accommodation. Whether nonspecific depletion of B cells, their progeny or suppression of their functions would undermine these non cognate functions and whether graft outcome would suffer as a result is unknown. These questions were discussed at a symposium on B cells in transplantation at the 2015 ISHLT annual meeting. Those discussions are summarized here and a new perspective is offered. (C) 2016 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. All rights reserved.
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