Associated TP3: Bone marrow plasma cells in autoimmune lupus modulating the function of bone metabolizing cells - osteoblasts and osteoclasts

There is increasing evidence that plasma cells interact with multiple bone marrow resident cell types, including megakaryocytes, osteoblasts and osteoclasts – the latter resembling cells of the bone metabolism. The multi-directional  interactions between these cell types are important for the regulation of serum antibodies but seem to be also involved in the modulation of the bone metabolism. Osteoblast and osteoclast active factors produced by megakaryocytes and plasma cells include the cytokines IL-6 and CCl3. This projects aims in investigating the possible role of altered B cell activation, plasma cell formation and megakaryopoiesis in the development of polyarthritis and altered bone mineral density in autoimmune lupus in mouse models.

This project is part of the DFG priority programme  1468 Osteoimmunology - IMMUNOBONE - A Program to Unravel the Mutual Interactions between the Immune System and Bone.

Lingzhang Meng graduated in Dec. 2015.