B-Cell Dysregulation in Crohn's Disease Is Partially Restored with Infliximab Therapy.
Wilhelmina M C TimmermansJan A M van LaarTim B van der HouwenLieke S J KamphuisSophinus J W BartolKing H LamRob J OuwendijkMiles P SparrowPeter R GibsonP Martin van HagenMenno C van ZelmPublished in: PloS one (2016)
B cells in patients with Crohn's disease showed signs of chronic stimulation with localization to granulomatous tissue and increased molecular maturation of IgA and IgG. Therapy with TNFα-blockers restored the defect in IgM memory B-cell generation and normalized transitional B-cell levels, making these subsets candidate markers for treatment monitoring. Together, these results suggest a chronic, aberrant B-cell response in patients with Crohn's disease, which could be targeted with new therapeutics that specifically regulate B-cell function.