B-cell hyperactivity in murine lupus II. Defects in response to and production of accessory signals in lupus-prone mice

The first part of this discussion, published in last month's issue (p. 287), reviewed the immunological abnormalities observed in murine lupus. The current theories on the signal requirements for B cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation were also described. This month, the authors discuss recent experiments which suggest that the B cell hyperactivity associated with lupus may be the result of abnormal responses to and/or production of T-cell-derived B-cell-activating factors.