Ligation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 (Grm3) ameliorates lupus-like disease by reducing B cells

•Blockade of BAFF upregulated Grm3 expression in B cells of lupus-like mice.•Grm3 expression was reduced in B cells from autoimmune diseases.•Grm3 agonist downregulated B-cell numbers and ameliorate lupus symptoms in mice.•Grm3 antagonist increased B-cell numbers and further aggravated the disease.

Recently B-cell activating factor (BAFF) was identified by our group and others as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. To expand upon this, we utilized microarrays to screen for molecules upregulated in B cells from BAFF-inhibited mice with lupus-like disease and identified metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 (Grm3). In addition to confirming the expression of this receptor in B cells, a synthetic agonist of Grm3 was found to downregulate B cells and ameliorate autoimmune symptoms in mice. Conversely, a Grm3 antagonist increased B-cell numbers and further aggravated disease. Thus, these results suggest that activation of Grm3 ameliorates lupus-like disease in mice by reducing B cell numbers. Not only do the findings presented in this study increase our understanding of the inhibitory signals initiated on the surface of B cells, but they also identify a novel potential target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.