B cells from patients with multiple sclerosis induce cell death via apoptosis in neurons in vitro

RP Lisak, L Nedelkoska, JA Benjamins… - Journal of …, 2017 - Elsevier
B cells mediate multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis by mechanisms unrelated to
immunoglobulin (Ig). We reported that supernatants (Sup) from cultured B cells from blood of
relapsing remitting MS (RRMS) patients, but not normal controls (NC), were cytotoxic to rat
oligodendrocytes (OL). We now show that RRMS blood B cells, not stimulated in vitro,
secrete factor/s toxic to rat and human neurons. Cytotoxicity is independent of Ig and
multiple cytokines, not complement-mediated, and involves apoptosis. The factor/s have an …