Measuring Human Memory B Cells in Autoimmunity Using Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSpot
The measurement of serum antibodies that specifically recognize self-antigens is a critical diagnostic in autoimmunity. A limitation of such an approach is sensitivity to detect the antibody, particularly when abundant self-antigens in the body may bind and sequester circulating specific antibodies....
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-04-01
|
| Series: | Biomolecules |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15/5/643 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The measurement of serum antibodies that specifically recognize self-antigens is a critical diagnostic in autoimmunity. A limitation of such an approach is sensitivity to detect the antibody, particularly when abundant self-antigens in the body may bind and sequester circulating specific antibodies. The presence of specific memory B cells (B<sub>mem</sub>) may provide a more sensitive and robust indicator of an autoimmune response, as is suggested for certain anti-viral responses. B cell enzyme-linked ImmunoSpot (ELISPOT) is capable of detecting antigen-specific B<sub>mem</sub> cells in blood at the single cell level, following stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to expand and differentiate the B<sub>mem</sub> cells into functional antibody-secreting cells (ASCs). While this assay has been widely utilized in infectious diseases and vaccination, detection is more difficult for autoantigens due to self-tolerance and specific tissue compartmentalization of immune responses, making autoantigen-specific B cells rare in the circulation. The cycles of re-activation of B<sub>mem</sub> cells to become ASCs, that may reflect disease flare-ups in autoimmunity, are not well defined. For several autoimmune diseases (ADs), the targeting of B cells via depleting monoclonal antibodies has proven to be an effective treatment, where B<sub>mem</sub> cells are likely being targeted. The measurement of autoantigen-reactive B<sub>mem</sub> cells may aid in diagnosis and staging of clinical severity, or be a metric for efficacious treatments, thus providing an additional informative biomarker of ADs. How B cell ELISPOT has been utilized to characterize B<sub>mem</sub> cells in human ADs is described here, including the advantages and disadvantages of the assay. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2218-273X |