B cells produce antibodies. In lupus, the B cells seem to be abnormal, able to create larger than normal amounts of antibody. The greater the stimulus to B cells, the greater the risk of developing disease or experiencing a disease flare. Overproduction of these autoantibodies can lead to inflammation in the kidneys and other vital organs. This antigen is recognized by the helper T cell to which it binds much the same way a specific key fits into a specific lock.
Some organisms can infect cells and interfere with their normal activities and responses.
It can also protect T cells, programmed to attack normal tissues, from being killed before they leave the thymus gland where they mature. In 1995, Gilkeson et al found immune cell abnormalities to dsDNA which were unique to lupus patients. The DNA from some bacterial species elicits a normal IgG response in normal patients whose immune systems recognize the bacterial DNA as foreign. In lupus patients, because of abnormal B cells, such exposure to bacterial dsDNA would stimulate an autoimmune response against normal tissues. These organisms have been shown to cause lupus-like symptoms, including B cell activation and the production of autoantibodies.