title: Autoreactivity by design: innate B and T lymphocytes.
abstract: Innate B and T lymphocytes are a subset of lymphocytes that express a restricted set of semi-invariant, germ-line-encoded, autoreactive antigen receptors. Although they have long been set apart from mainstream immunological thought, they now seem to represent a distinct immune-recognition strategy that targets conserved stress-induced self-structures, rather than variable foreign antigens. Innate lymphocytes regulate a range of infectious, tumour and autoimmune conditions. New studies have shed light on the principles and mechanisms that drive their unique development and function, and show their resemblance to another subset of innate lymphocytes, the natural killer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, New Jersey 08544, USA. abendelac@molbio.princeton.edu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bendelac
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonneville
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kearney
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001324:Autoantigens; D015551:Autoimmunity; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018448:Models, Immunological; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D017634:Self Tolerance; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell