See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil: the lessons of immune privilege.
Immune-mediated inflammation and allograft rejection are greatly reduced in certain organs, a phenomenon called 'immune privilege'. Immune privilege is well developed in three regions of the body: the eye, the brain and the pregnant uterus. Immune-mediated inflammation has devastating consequences in the eye and brain, which have limited capacity for regeneration. Likewise, loss of immune privilege at the maternal-fetal interface culminates in abortion in rodents. However, all three regions share many adaptations that restrict the induction and expression of immune-mediated inflammation. A growing body of evidence from rodent studies suggests that a breakdown in immune privilege contributes to multiple sclerosis, uveitis, corneal allograft rejection and possibly even immune abortion.
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9057, USA. jerry.niederkorn@utsouthwestern.edu
Jerry Y
JY
Niederkorn
D000818:Animals; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology*; D005123:Eye / Q000276:immunology*; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D005260:Female; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors / Q000276:immunology; D014599:Uterus / Q000276:immunology*
D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D053221:TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand; C505653:TNFSF10 protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors