The physiological role of regulatory T cells in the prevention of autoimmunity: generation, specificity and mode of action.
Until recently, the traditional view was that tolerance to self antigens was maintained by a combination of physical deletion, in the thymus, and functional deletion, in the periphery, of autoreactive T cells. There is now, however, abundant evidence that the normal T cell repertoire contains overtly autoreactive T cells whose pathogenic potential is held in check by the activity of a distinct subset of peripheral T cells, the so-called regulatory or suppressor T cells. This article examines data from one model of rodent autoimmunity, where autoimmune pathology develops following thymectomy and irradiation of normal laboratory rats, which characterize the development and function of these so-called regulatory T cells.
Seddon
B
B
Division of Molecular Immunology, National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK. bseddon@nimr.mrc.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000502:physiology*; D018448:Models, Immunological; D051381:Rats; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000502:physiology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology