B suppressor cells and protective autoantibodies.

Recently the importance of B cells has been highlighted for therapy of several autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Still, the functional role of B cells and antibodies in the disease process are unclear. Using animal models, antibodies specifically binding cartilage are pathogenic, but it has also recently been shown that both B cells and antibodies could be protective. These have specificities that are similar to B cells and autoantibodies detected in humans, including antibodies to citrullinated proteins and collagen type II, and may play an important role hindering an inflammatory attack, whereafter pathogenic B cells and antibodies are functionally more important to initiate and drive the clinically observable disease.