New webinar: "Regulatory B cells and gut-microbiota: an intricate acting balance in autoimmunity"

Bregs are provided in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) as a result of the interaction between the gut microbiota and the innate immune system (Rosser et al., 2014). Mice depleted of endogenous bacteria following administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics do not develop arthritis or Bregs, suggesting an intricate relationship between the microbiota, inflammation, and Breg differentiation (Rosser et al., 2014). The question of whether inflammatory signals produced in response to the microbiota control Breg development alone or whether microbial factors also play a direct role remains unanswered.

Claudia Mauri will discuss how  butyrate supplementation suppresses arthritis in a Breg-dependent manner by increasing the level of the serotonin-derived metabolite 5-Hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), which activates the aryl-hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a newly discovered transcriptional marker for Breg function.