Cause of Scleroderma: B Cells and T Cells |
| Author: Shelley Ensz. Scleroderma is highly variable. See Types of Scleroderma. Read Disclaimer |
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Overview of B Cells and T Cells |
| T cells are white blood cells that help stimulate an immune response to infections. In the thymus gland, lympohocytes are matured into T cells. Sometimes T cells become overactive, which is suspected as being part of the process that leads to autoimmune diseases. (Also see: Causes of Scleroderma, What is Scleroderma?, Types of Scleroderma, and Systemic Sclerosis) |
| B Cells and T Cells.The white blood cells involved in the acquired immune response are called 'lymphocytes'. There are two main types of lymphocytes - B cells and T cells. B and T lymphocytes are made in the bone marrow, like the other blood cells. They have to fully mature before they can help in the immune response. T cells travel through the blood stream to the thymus gland where they become fully developed. Once they are fully mature, they travel to the spleen and lymph nodes, ready to fight infection. Cancer Research UK. |
| Thymus. The thymus is a ductless gland located in the upper anterior portion of the chest cavity. It is most active during puberty, after which it shrinks in size and activity in most individuals and is replaced with fat. The thymus plays an important role in the development of the immune system in early life, and its cells form a part of the body's normal immune system. Wikepedia. |
B Cells and T Cells and Autoimmunity |
| OSU Study explains health benefits of green tea. One of the beneficial compounds found in green tea has a powerful ability to increase the number of “regulatory T cells” that play a key role in immune function and suppression of autoimmune disease. David Stauth, OSU News & Communications. (KCAL.com) 06/06/11. (Also see: Food Guide) |
| Therapeutic Targeting of B Cells for Rheumatic Autoimmune Diseases. This article reviews the current knowledge of B-cell biology and pathogenesis as well as the modern therapeutic approaches for rheumatic autoimmune diseases focusing in particular on the targeting of B-cell-specific surface molecules and on the blocking of B-cell activation and survival. Engel P, Pharmacol Rev. 2011 Jan 18. (Also see: Rheumatic Disease) |
| Research Scientists Redefine The Role Of Plasma Cells In The Immune System. The new study focuses on plasma cells, which are a component of the immune system known for producing large quantities of antibodies - targeted disease-fighting proteins. The new study, however, shows plasma cells also act in a negative feedback loop, the end result of which affects the function of other higher-ranking immune cells called follicular helper T cells (TFH). Medical News Today. 12/01/10. |
| The Impact of Vitamin D on Regulatory T Cells. This review discusses recent evidence that vitamin D promotes-both directly and indirectly-regulatory or suppressor T-cell populations with the capacity to inhibit inappropriate immune responses that cause disease, suggesting that this property may in part underpin the epidemiologic findings. Chambers ES. (PubMed) Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2010 Nov 23. (Also see: Vitamin D Deficiency) |
| Scientists identify the class of cells T-cells CD4 + which will help combat diseases like lupus, cancer, multiple sclerosis. Human immune system cells called T-cells CD4 + suppress the inflammatory processes in tissues containing pathogenic cells, to which the immune response is directed. Naveen Kar. Seer Press News. 09/19/10. |
B and T Cells and Systemic Sclerosis (SSc, Scleroderma) |
| Augmented Inducible costimulator (ICOS) expression in patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSsc). Augmented ICOS signalling may contribute to the pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) during early progressive disease. Soluble ICOS levels may be used as a serum marker for the activity and severity of SSc. Pub Med Rheumatology (Oxford). 2013 Feb;52(2):242-51. |
| B-cell depletion therapy in patients with diffuse systemic sclerosis associates with a significant decrease in PDGFR expression and activation in spindle-like cells in the skin. Rituximab (RTX) may favorably affect skin fibrosis through attenuation of PDGFR expression and activation, a finding that supports a disease-modifying role of RTX in Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Arthritis Res Ther. 2012 Jun 14;14(3):R145. (Also see: Scleroderma Treatments and Clinical Trials) |
