B-lymphocytes in the lung: a topic to be revisited.

ABSTRACT

Humoral immunity is crucial to the immunologic homeostasis of the lung. Although having key roles in the clearance of infectious pathogens, humoral responses under certain condition may contribute to pathology in the lung. The regulation of local humoral immunity involves a highly complex network of antigen presenting cells, T and B-lymphocytes, as well as many membrane-bound and soluble signals. This review discusses B-lymphocyte function and immunoglogulin production in general, as well as the regulation and function of humoral immunity as it relates to the lung in health and disease.