Reduction in antibody gene rearrangement in B cells related to type 1 diabetes, lupus
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 - 12:56
in Biology & Nature
(PhysOrg.com) -- More drafts usually mean a better product and so it also seems to go with the human immune system. As B cells develop, genes rearrange to allow antibodies to recognize different foreign invaders or pathogens. But sometimes antibodies are created that recognize and attack the body's own cells. These self-reactive antibodies, like early drafts of a manuscript, must be edited into versions that won't attack self. This process is called receptor editing and is important for central or early B cell tolerance, which occurs while B cells are still developing in the bone marrow.