title: [Autoimmunity in endocrinology: general principles].
abstract: The thymus is a crucial meeting place between the major systems of cell-to-cell communication, the nervous, the endocrine and the immune systems. More specifically, the thymus is the site for establishment of central T cell self-tolerance of neuroendocrine principles. The different factors--genetic, environmental, sexual--that intervene in the pathogenesis of autoimmune endocrinopathies are briefly reviewed here. Current research try to evidence that a thymic dysfunction, a defect in central self-tolerance could play an important role in the development of organ-specific autoimmune diseases, or cell-specific such as type 1 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Endocrinologie du CHU de Liège, Centre d'Immunologie de Liège (CIL), Institut de Pathologie.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Geenen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Warzée
mesh_terms: D000941:Antigens; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens