Epigenetic Control of B Cell Development and B-Cell-Related Immune Disorders

B lymphocytes are generally recognized as the essential component of humoral immunity and also a regulator of innate immunity. The development of B cells is precisely regulated by a variety of factors via different mechanisms, including cytokine/cytokine receptors, signal transduction molecules, and transcription factors. Recent findings suggest that epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA, play critical roles in establishing B cell lineage-specific gene expression profiles to define and sustain B cell identity and function. Epigenetic modifications are also sensitive to external stimuli and might bridge genetic and environmental factors in the pathogenesis or control of B-cell-related immune disorders, such as autoimmune diseases, lymphoma, and leukemia. Better understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms for regulating B cell development and involving B cell abnormal differentiation and function will shed light on the design of new therapeutic approaches to B-cell-related diseases, and potential candidates of epigenetic modulators may be identified to target epigenetic pathways to prevent or treat B cell disorders. We summarize the relevance of epigenetic marks and landscapes in the stages of B cell development, discuss the interaction of the transcriptional networks and epigenetic changes, and review the involvement of epigenetic risk in the pathogenesis of B-cell-related diseases. Understanding how specific epigenetic alterations contribute to the development of B-cell-related autoimmunity and malignancies is instrumental to control B cell disorders.