B Cell-mediated Immune Regulation and the Quest for Transplantation Tolerance

Pathophysiologic function of B cells in graft rejection has been well recognized in transplantation. B cells promote alloantigen-specific T-cell response and secrete antibodies that can cause antibody-mediated graft failures and rejections. Therefore, strategies targeting B cells, for example, B-cell depletion, have been used for the prevention of both acute and chronic rejections. Interestingly, however, recent mounting evidence indicates that subsets of B cells yet to be further identified can display potent immune regulatory functions, and they contribute to transplantation tolerance and operational tolerance in both experimental and clinical settings, respectively. In this review, we integrate currently available information on B-cell subsets, including T-cell Ig domain and mucin domain 1-positive transitional and T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domain-positive memory B cells, displaying immune regulatory functions, with a focus on transplantation tolerance, by analyzing their mechanisms of action. In addition, we will discuss potential T-cell Ig domain and mucin domain 1-positive and T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domain-positive B cell-based strategies for the enhancement of operational tolerance in transplantation patients.