Title |
Breakdown of self-tolerance in anergic B lymphocytes
|
---|---|
Published in |
Nature, August 1991
|
DOI | 10.1038/352532a0 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Christopher C. Goodnow, Robert Brink, Elizabeth Adams |
Abstract |
Production of autoantibodies, which characterizes most autoimmune diseases, is normally avoided by active elimination or functional inactivation (anergy) of B and T lymphocytes bearing receptors for self antigens. The mechanisms leading to the escape of self-reactive clones from these normal tolerance mechanisms in autoimmune diseases nevertheless remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that clonal anergy in B lymphocytes is a reversible process, and that silenced self-reactive B cells can be reactivated under particular conditions to give rise to vigorous antibody responses. Reactivation of anergic lymphocytes may explain many examples of transient autoimmune reactions in normal individuals, and may under pathological conditions be important in the development of chronic autoimmune disease. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
United States | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 46 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 13 | 27% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 12 | 25% |
Professor | 8 | 17% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 3 | 6% |
Student > Master | 3 | 6% |
Other | 6 | 13% |
Unknown | 3 | 6% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 16 | 33% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 11 | 23% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 6 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 5 | 10% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 2 | 4% |
Other | 2 | 4% |
Unknown | 6 | 13% |