Dual cellular targeting of complement receptor 2 (CR2/CD21) synergistically suppresses autoreactive germinal center activity and autoimmunity in lupus

Dual CD21 blockade with a CD21-blocking antibody on both B cells and follicular dendritic cells synergistically suppresses germinal center activity and autoimmunity in lupus-prone mice.

• Why it matters: Pathogenic germinal center niches persist in systemic lupus erythematosus because existing B cell–targeted therapies do not reliably eliminate the GC microenvironment that sustains autoimmunity.
• What they did: In a spontaneous lupus-prone mouse model, the study applied CD21 blockade to B cells and FDCs and assessed germinal center B cell responses, autoantibody production, memory recall, and renal antibody deposition, alongside mechanistic and memory subset analyses.
• The result: Dual targeting inhibited GC B cell responses and reduced autoantibody production, memory recall, and renal antibody deposition; it also reshaped memory by increasing a CD21low/-CD38+ subset with reduced antibody-secreting cell recall potential.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.