Abstract.
Although the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases remains poorly understood, the current view is that autoaggresive antigen-specific T cells play a central role in the cascade of events leading to most autoimmune diseases. A major event in the development of autoimmune diseases is the activation of antigen-specific T cells—how, when and where does this activation take place? This review addresses questions concerning the occurrence of unique autoantigens triggering autoimmune diseases, the factors influencing the balance between self-tolerance and autoaggresive immunity, and the mechanisms by which dendritic cells mediate immunity and tolerance to antigen-specific T cells. Knowledge of how antigen-specific T cells are activated is now being used to develop therapeutic approaches to control autoimmune diseases. We discuss tolerance to antigen-specific T cells and tolerance induction as treatment of T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases. Therapeutic modalities have been established which selectively target the pathogenic T cells, leaving the remainder of the immune system intact.
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Received 29 December 1998; received after revision 15 March 1999; accepted 16 March 1999
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Xiao, BG., Link, H. Antigen-specific T cells in autoimmune diseases with a focus on multiple sclerosis and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis. CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 56, 5–21 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s000180050002
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s000180050002