B cells are normally regulated to prevent activation against self-proteins through tolerance mechanisms.  However, occasionally there is a break in tolerance and B cells can become self-reactive, which might lead to the development of autoimmune disease. The activation of self-reactive B cells is regulated by receptors on the B cell surface, such as Fc gamma receptor IIb (FcγRIIb), complement receptor type 1 (CR1), and CR type 2 (CR2). In this thesis I have studied the role of FcγRIIb, CR1 and CR2 on B cells in autoimmune arthritis. By using a model for rheumatoid arthritis, I discovered that the initial self-reactive B cell response in arthritis was associated with the splenic marginal zone B cell population. Marginal zone B cells express high levels of CR1/CR2 and FcγRIIb, suggesting that they normally require high regulation. Further, female mice deficient in CR1/CR2 displayed increased susceptibility to arthritis compared to CR1/CR2-sufficient female mice. When investigating whether sex hormones affected arthritis susceptibility, we found that ovariectomy, of the otherwise fairly resistant CR1/CR2-sufficient mice, reduced the expression of CR1 on B cells and rendered the mice more susceptible to arthritis. In humans, a significantly reduced CR1 and FcγRIIb expression was found on B cells in aging women, but not in men. This may contribute to the increased risk for women to develop autoimmune disease as reduced receptor expression may lead to the activation of self-reactive B cells. In agreement, lower CR1, CR2 and FcγRIIb expression was seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.   Finally, a soluble form of FcγRIIb was used to investigate FcγRIIb’s ability to bind self-reactive IgG in an attempt to treat autoimmune arthritis. Treatment of mice with established arthritis was associated with less self-reactive IgG antibodies and consequently less disease, suggesting that soluble FcγRIIb may be used as a novel treatment in arthritis.

B lymphocytes play a significant role in autoimmune arthritis, with their function stretching beyond autoantibody production to cytokine secretion and presentation of autoantigen. However, the involvement and activation of different B-cell subset in the autoimmune response is not fully clear. The main focus of this thesis has been to understand the contribution of marginal zone (MZ) B cells in the induction of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a mouse model for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We show that MZ B cells in the spleen of naïve mice display a natural self-reactivity to collagen type II (CII), the autoantigen used for immunization of CIA. The CII-reactive MZ B cells expand rapidly following immunization with CII, and produce IgM and IgG antibodies to CII. They also very efficiently present CII to cognate T cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, absence of regulatory receptors such as CR1/2 or FcγRIIb on the MZ B cells increases their proliferation and cytokine production in response to toll-like receptor, but not B-cell receptor, activation. Further, FcγRIIb-deficient MZ B cells present CII to T cells more efficiently than wild-type MZ B cells. We additionally demonstrate for the first time the existence of a small population of nodal MZ B cells in mouse lymph nodes. Similar to splenic MZ B cells, the nodal MZ B cells expand after CIA induction, secrete IgM anti-CII antibodies and can present CII to cognate T cells. Finally, we show that mast cells, associated with ectopic B cell follicles in inflamed RA joints, in coculture with B cells promote their expansion, production of IgM and IgG antibodies as well as upregulation of CD19 and L-selectin. Coculture with mast cells further causes the B cells to upregulate costimulators and class II MHC, important molecules for antigen-presenting function. In summary, my findings suggest that splenic and nodal self-reactive MZ B cells participate in breaking T-cell tolerance to CII in CIA. B-cell intrinsic regulation is needed to keep such autoreactive B cells quiescent. Mast cells can potentiate B-cell responses locally in the arthritic joint, thus feeding the autoimmune reaction.