Epigenetic regulation in B-cell maturation and its dysregulation in autoimmunity

摘要

B cells have a critical role in the initiation and acceleration of autoimmune diseases, especially those mediated byautoantibodies. In the peripheral lymphoid system, mature B cells are activated by self or/and foreign antigens andsignals from helper T cells for differentiating into either memory B cells or antibody-producing plasma cells.Accumulating evidence has shown that epigenetic regulations modulate somatic hypermutation and class switchDNA recombination during B-cell activation and differentiation. Any abnormalities in these complex regulatoryprocesses may contribute to aberrant antibody production, resulting in autoimmune pathogenesis such as systemiclupus erythematosus. Newly generated knowledge from advanced modern technologies such as next-generationsequencing, single-cell sequencing and DNA methylation sequencing has enabled us to better understand B-cellbiology and its role in autoimmune development. Thus this review aims to summarize current research progress inepigenetic modifications contributing to B-cell activation and differentiation, especially under autoimmuneconditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes.