title: Antigen-specific T cells in autoimmune diseases with a focus on multiple sclerosis and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.
abstract: Although the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases remains poorly understood, the current view is that autoaggresive antigen-specific T cells play a central role in the cascade of events leading to most autoimmune diseases. A major event in the development of autoimmune diseases is the activation of antigen-specific T cells-how, when and where does this activation take place? This review addresses questions concerning the occurrence of unique autoantigens triggering autoimmune diseases, the factors influencing the balance between self-tolerance and autoaggresive immunity, and the mechanisms by which dendritic cells mediate immunity and tolerance to antigen-specific T cells. Knowledge of how antigen-specific T cells are activated is now being used to develop therapeutic approaches to control autoimmune diseases. We discuss tolerance to antigen-specific T cells and tolerance induction as treatment of T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Therapeutic modalities have been established which selectively target the pathogenic T cells. leaving the remainder of the immune system intact.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. bao-guoxiao@cnsf.ki.se
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Link
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D015551:Autoimmunity; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000502:physiology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D014612:Vaccines