title: Regulatory T cells essential to prevent the loss of self-tolerance in murine models of erythrocyte-specific autoantibody responses.
abstract: The spontaneous appearance of anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies resulting in autoimmune hemolytic anemia described in NZB mice more than 40 years ago provided a model for the study of mechanisms behind the loss of self-tolerance. We developed an in vitro model of this anti-MRBC response in which CD8(+) suppressor T cells were shown to be a controlling element. CD8(+) T cells from young NZB mice co-cultured with spleen cells from old, actively autoimmune NZB mice suppressed the anti-MRBC responses of the old mice. Eliminating the CD8(+) cells from young NZB spleen cells or even from non-autoimmune BALB/c spleen cells prior to culture removed the controlling influence of these CD8(+) cells and allowed the development of anti-MRBC-secreting cells. This review will consider the role of the CD8(+) suppressive cells in the anti-self-erythrocyte model in light of insights provided by current 'regulatory T cell' literature.
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, 1020 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. catherine.calkins@jefferson.edu
authors: Catherine E
authors: CE
authors: Calkins
mesh_terms: D000744:Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB; D017634:Self Tolerance; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies