ArticleThe Journal of experimental medicine2012
B cell depletion therapy ameliorates autoimmune disease through ablation of IL-6-producing B cells.
Article in The Journal of experimental medicine, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 342 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
342 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 633 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Role of Selected Interleukins in the Development and Progression of Multiple Sclerosis-A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Belimumab in kidney transplantation: an experimental medicine, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2018Trial
- Metabolic switch: lymphocytes and the onset of T-cell-mediated autoimmunity.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026Review
- From Marginal to Central: Marginal Zone-like B Cells as Critical Targets in Cladribine-Treated Multiple Sclerosis.Annals of neurology · 2026Article
- Selected Cytokines and Matrix Metalloproteinases in Pathogenesis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Human Peripheral B Cell Subsets: Evolving notions about B cell biology and the broad relevance of B cells in disease.Immunological reviews · 2026Review
- Investigating the role of serum IL-6 in predicting outcomes of b-cell depleting therapy in multiple sclerosis: a retrospective cohort study.BMC neurology · 2026Article
- CAR T cell therapy beyond cancer: current status, challenges and future prospects.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- Modeling pathogenic B cell function in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2026Review
- Impact of Anti-CD20 Therapies on Cytokine, Chemokine and Adhesion Molecule Dynamics in Multiple Sclerosis: A Narrative Review.Neurology and therapy · 2026Review
- Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cells in Myasthenia Gravis: Advances, Safety Challenges, and Future Directions.Muscle & nerve · 2026Review
- S3I-201, a STAT3 Inhibitor, Inhibits Proinflammatory Mediator Signalling in CD19 and CD45R/B220 Cells in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis.Cellular and molecular neurobiology · 2026Article
- From Genes to Pathways: The Molecular Landscape of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- B cells maintain the homeostasis of splenic marginal zone antigen-presenting cells to promote the antiviral CD8Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026Article
- A Long-Term Prospective Evaluation of the Predictive Value of Molecular Markers in Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid in Patients in the Early Stage of Multiple Sclerosis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Association of cytokine levels with treatment duration and patient family history in Egyptian multiple sclerosis patients.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The potential role of S-nitrosoglutathione reductase in astrocyte BAFF expression and B cell activation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.Journal of neuroimmunology · 2026Article
- Exploring the mechanism of Kemofang in treating idiopathic membranous nephropathy based on LC-MS/MS combined with network pharmacology, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Adrenergic receptors on immune cells in cardiovascular disease: signaling plasticity, biased agonism, and therapeutic opportunities.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Review
- The emerging role of B cells in immune-mediated demyelinating diseases: mechanisms and therapeutic implications.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
282 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
B cells have paradoxical roles in autoimmunity, exerting both pathogenic and protective effects. Pathogenesis may be antibody independent, as B cell depletion therapy (BCDT) leads to amelioration of disease irrespective of autoantibody ablation. However, the mechanisms of pathogenesis are poorly understood. We demonstrate that BCDT alleviates central nervous system autoimmunity through ablation of IL-6-secreting pathogenic B cells. B cells from mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) secreted elevated levels of IL-6 compared with B cells from naive controls, and mice with a B cell-specific IL-6 deficiency showed less severe disease than mice with wild-type B cells. Moreover, BCDT ameliorated EAE only in mice with IL-6-sufficient B cells. This mechanism of pathogenesis may also operate in multiple sclerosis (MS) because B cells from MS patients produced more IL-6 than B cells from healthy controls, and this abnormality was normalized with B cell reconstitution after Rituximab treatment. This suggests that BCDT improved disease progression, at least partly, by eliminating IL-6-producing B cells in MS patients. Taking these data together, we conclude that IL-6 secretion is a major mechanism of B cell-driven pathogenesis in T cell-mediated autoimmune disease such as EAE and MS.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.