title: Immune tolerance and autoimmune uveoretinitis: the role of the ocular microenvironment.
abstract: Two major self-antigens, S-antigen and interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, which can induce uveoretinitis, exist in the eye. However, immunologic tolerance to these self-antigens is generated and maintained. Two major mechanisms have been demonstrated by which tolerance to tissue-specific self-antigens is maintained. One is central tolerance in the thymus where autoreactive T cells are deleted by medullary thymic epithelial cells expressing the autoimmune regulator gene (Aire) and the other is peripheral tolerance mediated by regulatory T cells such as Foxp3(+)CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells. In addition, the eye is an immune privileged site where indigenous immunomodulatory mechanisms allow immune protection of the eye in a manner that is largely devoid of immunogenic inflammation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki Tokorozawa Saitama, 359-8513, Japan. masatake@ndmc.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D060833:Cellular Microenvironment; D005123:Eye / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051379:Mice; D012173:Retinitis / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology; D014605:Uveitis / Q000276:immunology*; D000096927:AIRE Protein
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000096927:AIRE Protein