Maintenance of in vivo tolerance by persistence of antigen.
T cells of the immune system respond only to foreign antigens because those cells with reactivity for self proteins are either deleted during their development or rendered nonresponsive (anergic). The maintenance of the nonresponsive state was found to require the continual exposure of the anergic T cells to antigen. When anergic T cells were removed from the self antigen by adoptive transfer to a mouse strain lacking the antigen or by in vitro culture, nonresponsiveness was reversed and the anergic cells returned to normal functional status.
Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
F
F
Ramsdell
B J
BJ
Fowlkes
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation; D051379:Mice; D008806:Mice, Inbred AKR; D016747:Minor Lymphocyte Stimulatory Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001324:Autoantigens; D016747:Minor Lymphocyte Stimulatory Antigens; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell