PerspectiveEffects of Acute and Chronic Inflammation on B-Cell Development and Differentiation
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The authors state no conflict of interest.
Editor's Note
In 1621 Fabricius ab Aquapendente described a sac-like structure over the terminal gut in birds, known ever since as the bursa of Fabricius (Ribatti et al., 2006). In 1954 Glick and Chang found that immunized chickens in which the bursa of Fabricius was removed early in development did not develop antibodies, establishing this structure as critical to antibody development (Ribatti et al., 2006). These observations were followed by the work of Cooper and Good, who suggested a functional division of immune cells, with bursal (B) cells responsible for antibody production and thymus (T) cells responsible for delayed-type hypersensitivity (Cooper et al., 1965). Over the ensuing decades B cells have been found to play a critical role in antibody formation, T cell function and immune regulation (LeBien and Tedder, 2008). Recent development of the monoclonal antibody rituximab, which is directed against a subset of B cells, has resulted in a heightened interest in B cells as a target for the treatment of autoimmune disease. In this issue Cain and colleagues report on the role of acute and chronic inflammation in B cell development, Manjarrez-Orduño et al focus on the role of B cells in the development of immunological tolerance, and Nagel et al provide insight into the potential for B-cell directed therapy of inflammatory mediated skin diseases. In one of the first reviews of the roles of T and B lymphocytes, Martin Raff wrote that “…insight into the functioning of the immune system… has paved the way for rational attempts to manipulate selectively the different cell typesyfor the benefit of patientsy” (1973). These Perspectives outline advances towards the fulfillment of Raff's prediction. Russell P. Hall, III, Deputy Editor