B cells play a central role not only in adaptive immunity, but also in autoimmunity. To understand how B cells are normally prevented from reacting to self-tissue, what goes wrong in autoimmunity, and how B cells contribute to it is the aim of this book. This volume includes more than a dozen in-depth reviews by researchers specializing in various aspects of basic B cell biology that have relevance to autoimmune diseases. These up-to-date chapters present the latest information on B cell signal transduction, apoptosis, genetics and molecular biology. Also featured are chapters with special reference to particular autoimmune diseases in which B cells have been shown to play a critical role, such as type 1 diabetes, chronic graft-versus-host disease and lupus erythematosus. Further topics covered include the role of the complement system, rheumatoid factors, and anti-DNA autoantibodies as well as important related areas such as natural autoantibodies, B cell immune tolerance, Toll receptor signaling, and the immunobiology of BAFF/BLyS. Both basic researchers and clinician scientists who wish to understand the role of B lymphocytes in immune tolerance and autoimmunity will benefit from this timely publication.