Checkpoints for Autoreactive B Cells in the Peripheral Blood of Lupus Patients Assessed by Flow Cytometry.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are diagnostic in several autoimmune disorders, yet the failure to achieve B cell tolerance in these diseases is still poorly understood. Although secreted ANAs detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay are the gold standard for autoreactivity, there has been no convenient assay with which to measure the frequency of circulating B cells that recognize nuclear antigens (ANA+ B cells) in patients. The aim of this study was to generate an assay to easily identify these B cells and to examine its utility in a study of autoreactive B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

We developed and validated a novel flow cytometry-based assay that identifies ANA+ B cells using biotinylated nuclear extracts, and utilized it to exa

SUBMITTER: Malkiel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5523861 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature