The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / BAFF: A Fulcrum Between Resistance to Infection & Autoimmunity

BAFF: A Fulcrum Between Resistance to Infection & Autoimmunity

May 31, 2017 • By Lara C. Pullen, PhD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Maristella Steri, PhD, research fellow at the Instituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Monserrato in Italy, and colleagues reported that a TNFSF13B variant that encodes the cytokine and drug target B cell activating factor (BAFF) is associated with multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They detailed the effects at the population, cellular and molecular levels in the April 27 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.1

You Might Also Like
  • Infection & Hospitalization in SLE
  • Autoreactive Germinal Centers: A Single Autoreactive B Cell Clone Can Drive Autoimmunity
  • Link between Autoimmunity and Environmental Exposure Needs Further Research
Also By This Author
  • A Defect in Mitochondrial Function May Underlie Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The complex BAFF system includes the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R), B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin-ligand interactor (TACI). Researchers have studied the role of BAFF in animal models of autoimmunity and found that it appears to play a role in syndromes resembling human SLE and Sjögren’s syndrome. These findings, and others, have increasingly led researchers to focus on B cells as a therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Steri and colleagues turned their efforts to individuals in Sardinia, who despite their reputation for longevity, also happen to have the highest incidence rate of multiple sclerosis. Their research revealed the TNFSF13B variant is an associated disease-risk allele that upregulates humoral immunity, as documented by increased levels of soluble BAFF, B lymphocytes and immunoglobulins. The insertion-deletion variant, GCTCTàA, creates a risk allele by the insertion of A. They found that the mutation yields a shorter transcript that escapes microRNA inhibition and increases the production of soluble BAFF, which is associated with upregulated humoral immunity. However, the effects of BAFF-var are broad, and the investigators note that the role of specific B cells in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and SLE remain unclear.

“Besides supporting BAFF as a target in multiple sclerosis and SLE, our results have implications for clinical research,” write the authors in their discussion. “A pertinent one, to be assessed in further studies, would be that patients stratified according to BAFF-var status [may] show a differential benefit from anti-BAFF therapies. One might also anticipate that patients carrying BAFF-var would have a weaker response to B-cell depleting therapies owing to a faster resurgence of memory B cells.” They note, however, that this expectation runs counter to clinical experience, which has found that patients with SLE and higher levels of BAFF actually have poorer and shorter clinical responses to rituximab than patients with lower levels of BAFF.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Evolution & Autoimmunity
The investigators then performed population genetic signatures that revealed that the autoimmunity variant has been evolutionarily advantageous. Specifically, they posit that BAFF-var may have been positively selected for in the Sardinian population because it contributes to resistance to Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax malaria.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, SLE (Lupus) Tagged With: autoimmunity, B cell activating factor (BAFF), B cells, SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

You Might Also Like:
  • Infection & Hospitalization in SLE
  • Autoreactive Germinal Centers: A Single Autoreactive B Cell Clone Can Drive Autoimmunity
  • Link between Autoimmunity and Environmental Exposure Needs Further Research
  • Neutrophil Extracellular Traps & Their Role in Autoimmunity

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)