B-regulatory cells in autoimmunity and immune mediated inflammation.

B cells are a source of inhibitory cytokines such as IL-10 and TGF-β. The ability of being B-regulatory cells (B-regs) was shown to be driven by many stimulatory factors such as toll-like receptors, CD40-ligand and others. However, the characterization of B-regs is still underway. B-regs express high levels of CD25, CD86, IL-10 and TGF-β. In addition, we propose that semaphorin3A is a regulatory molecule and therefore can serve as one of the additional markers for B-regs. This subset of B cells was able to suppress Th1 proliferation, thus contributing to the maintenance of self-tolerance. Finally, the potentiation of B-reg function should become the aim of many immunomodulatory drugs, contributing to a better control of autoimmune diseases.