Balancing diversity and tolerance: lessons from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

ABSTRACT

The autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is caused by a failure of B cell tolerance. Recent studies in mouse models of SLE have identified several distinct tolerance checkpoints that must each function appropriately to protect against disease. However, studies of B cell repertoire selection in humans are essential to understand which checkpoints are defective in human autoimmune diseases.