Role of the CXCL13/CXCR5 Axis in Autoimmune Diseases

Zijian Pan; Tong Zhu; Yanjun Liu; Nannan Zhang

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.850998

Role of the CXCL13/CXCR5 Axis in Autoimmune Diseases

Front Immunol. 2022 Mar 4:13:850998. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.850998. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zijian Pan^{1

2}, Tong Zhu^{1

2}, Yanjun Liu¹, Nannan Zhang¹

Affiliations

¹ National Center for Birth Defect Monitoring, Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Ministry of Education, West China Second University Hospital, and State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Abstract

CXCL13 is a B-cell chemokine produced mainly by mesenchymal lymphoid tissue organizer cells, follicular dendritic cells, and human T follicular helper cells. By binding to its receptor, CXCR5, CXCL13 plays an important role in lymphoid neogenesis, lymphoid organization, and immune responses. Recent studies have found that CXCL13 and its receptor CXCR5 are implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, primary Sjögren's syndrome, myasthenia gravis, and inflammatory bowel disease. In this review, we discuss the biological features of CXCL13 and CXCR5 and the recent findings on the pathogenic roles of the CXCL13/CXCR5 axis in autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the potential role of CXCL13 as a disease biomarker and therapeutic target in autoimmune diseases.

Keywords: CXCL13; CXCR5; autoimmunity; chemokine; therapeutic target.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Arthritis, Rheumatoid*
Autoimmune Diseases*
Chemokine CXCL13
Dendritic Cells, Follicular / metabolism
Humans
Lymphoid Tissue / metabolism
Receptors, CXCR5 / metabolism

Substances

CXCL13 protein, human
CXCR5 protein, human
Chemokine CXCL13
Receptors, CXCR5