Over the past several decades, tremendous advances in understanding of autoimmunity make people aware that the immune system can also act as a double-edged sword. Abnormal or overactive immune responses triggered by genetic predisposition and environmental factors would break immune tolerance/homeostasis and may thereby lead to autoimmune disease ultimately. Yet, despite several varieties of abnormal immune cells have been proved involved in the incidence and development of autoimmune diseases, the origin and formation mechanisms of and a direct pathogenic role of those remains opaque. Abnormal immune cells trigger the immune signaling pathways that lead to inflammation, production of autoantibodies, tissue destruction etc. Meanwhile, overactivated immune cells even can express different phenotypes in response to pathogenic conditions, which may be the reasons of drug-resistant and failure of treatments in the clinical management. Targeting critical factors regulating pathogenic immune cells rather than all immune cells may be more feasible in the field of autoimmune disease treatment.
The aim of this Research Topic is to fill the gap of knowledge regarding origin, phenotypes, pathogenic process of pathogenic immune cells in different autoimmune diseases. Any one cell type which has immune effects will be welcomed. In addition, we are also interested in the effectiveness of the pathogenic immune cells-targeted therapeutic strategies.
We welcome submissions of original articles, review and letter with high quality and originality of areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• The phenotypic and functional characterization of pathogenic immune cells
• The differentiation factors for non-pathogenic immune cells into pathogenic immune cells
• The pathogenicity and the heterogeneity of immune cells in autoimmune disease
• Autoantibody formation and immune cells
• The pathogenic immune cells-targeted therapeutic strategies in autoimmune disease treatment
• New diagnostic indicators for autoimmune disease
Over the past several decades, tremendous advances in understanding of autoimmunity make people aware that the immune system can also act as a double-edged sword. Abnormal or overactive immune responses triggered by genetic predisposition and environmental factors would break immune tolerance/homeostasis and may thereby lead to autoimmune disease ultimately. Yet, despite several varieties of abnormal immune cells have been proved involved in the incidence and development of autoimmune diseases, the origin and formation mechanisms of and a direct pathogenic role of those remains opaque. Abnormal immune cells trigger the immune signaling pathways that lead to inflammation, production of autoantibodies, tissue destruction etc. Meanwhile, overactivated immune cells even can express different phenotypes in response to pathogenic conditions, which may be the reasons of drug-resistant and failure of treatments in the clinical management. Targeting critical factors regulating pathogenic immune cells rather than all immune cells may be more feasible in the field of autoimmune disease treatment.
The aim of this Research Topic is to fill the gap of knowledge regarding origin, phenotypes, pathogenic process of pathogenic immune cells in different autoimmune diseases. Any one cell type which has immune effects will be welcomed. In addition, we are also interested in the effectiveness of the pathogenic immune cells-targeted therapeutic strategies.
We welcome submissions of original articles, review and letter with high quality and originality of areas to be covered in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:
• The phenotypic and functional characterization of pathogenic immune cells
• The differentiation factors for non-pathogenic immune cells into pathogenic immune cells
• The pathogenicity and the heterogeneity of immune cells in autoimmune disease
• Autoantibody formation and immune cells
• The pathogenic immune cells-targeted therapeutic strategies in autoimmune disease treatment
• New diagnostic indicators for autoimmune disease