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However, the cellular and molecular characterization of B cells in this context has long been neglected. This study investigates pulpitis through the lens of B-cell involvement, combining single-cell RNA sequencing with histopathological analysis to generate a comprehensive cellular atlas of healthy and inflamed dental pulp. Our findings reveal a near absence of B\/plasma cells in healthy pulp but a marked increase during inflammation. These cells display active antigen presentation and immunoglobulin secretion. In the mouse pulpitis model, B-cell depletion alleviated pulpal inflammation, highlighting the proinflammatory role of B cells. Subclustering analysis identified 4 transcriptionally distinct B-cell subsets, which were validated at the protein level through multiplex immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Among these, transitional B cells exhibited a noticeable breakdown of tolerance, suggesting a propensity for autoreactivity. Elevated autoantibodies were detected in both tissue samples and isolated plasma cells. Finally, Mendelian randomization analyses and serological assays in mice indicated potential local\u2013systemic interactions in pulpitis. These findings reveal that B cells may contribute to both the local pathology and systemic immunological characteristics of pulpitis, providing a novel perspective on its pathogenesis through potential autoimmune mechanisms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/00220345251415328","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,12]],"date-time":"2026-02-12T04:46:48Z","timestamp":1770871608000},"page":"1471-1481","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["B-Cell Landscape in Inflamed Dental Pulp Reveals Potential Autoimmune Involvement"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"105","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-1917-9040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Y.","family":"Peng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &amp; National Center for Stomatology &amp; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8681-3413","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"L.","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &amp; National Center for Stomatology &amp; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"F.","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Craniofacial and Regenerative Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral &amp; Craniofacial Sciences, King\u2019s College London, London, United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"L.","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &amp; National Center for Stomatology &amp; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"X.","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &amp; National Center for Stomatology &amp; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0779-5729","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"D.","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &amp; National Center for Stomatology &amp; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5241-2013","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"D.","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &amp; National Center for Stomatology &amp; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"},{"name":"Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ali J Pramod K Tahir MA Ansari SH. 2011. 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