Increased BCR responsiveness in B cells from patients with chronic GVHD.

ABSTRACT: Although B cells have emerged as important contributors to chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) pathogenesis, the mechanisms responsible for their sustained activation remain unknown. We previously showed that patients with cGVHD have significantly increased B cell-activating factor (BAFF) levels and that their B cells are activated and resistant to apoptosis. Exogenous BAFF confers a state of immediate responsiveness to antigen stimulation in normal murine B cells. To address this in cGVHD, we studied B-cell receptor (BCR) responsiveness in 48 patients who were >1 year out from allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We found that B cells from cGVHD patients had significantly increased proliferative responses to BCR stimulation along with elevated basal levels of t

SUBMITTER: Allen JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3968393 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature