title: Promotion and prevention of autoimmune disease by CD8+ T cells.
abstract: Until recently, little was known about the importance of CD8+ T effectors in promoting and preventing autoimmune disease development. CD8+ T cells can oppose or promote autoimmune disease through activities as suppressor cells and as cytotoxic effectors. Studies in several distinct autoimmune models and data from patient samples are beginning to establish the importance of CD8+ T cells in these diseases and to define the mechanisms by which these cells influence autoimmunity. CD8+ effectors can promote disease via dysregulated secretion of inflammatory cytokines, skewed differentiation profiles and inappropriate apoptosis induction of target cells, and work to block disease by eliminating self-reactive cells and self-antigen sources, or as regulatory T cells. Defining the often major contribution of CD8+ T cells to autoimmune disease and identifying the mechanisms by which they alter the pathogenesis of disease is a rapidly expanding area of study and will add valuable information to our understanding of the kinetics, pathology and biology of autoimmune disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, CA, USA.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gravano
authors.forename: Katrina K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hoyer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D056747:Immunomodulation; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
keywords: AIHA; ALPS; APC; Autoimmune disease; CD8+ T cell; CTL; EAE; HLA; LCMV; MBP; MHC; MOG; MPP; MS; RA; SLE; T cell receptor; T1D; TCR; TRA; Tc; Tolerance; Treg; antigen presenting cells; autoimmune hemolytic anemia; autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome; cytokine producing CD8+ effectors; cytotoxic T lymphocytes; experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; human leukocyte antigen; lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; major histocompatibility complex; multiple sclerosis; myelin basic protein; myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein; myelin proteolipid protein; regulatory T cell; rheumatoid arthritis; systemic lupus erythematosus; tissue restricted antigens; type 1 diabetes