Immune Mechanisms Preventing Autoimmunity

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The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Autoimmune Diseases and Antinuclear Antibody Testing: Methods and Staining Patterns. Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

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Immune Mechanisms Preventing Autoimmunity

The immune system has various mechanisms to prevent the induction of autoimmunity against self-antigens and the subsequent production of an autoimmune disorder.
Central tolerance is the earliest prevention process that occurs within primary lymphoid tissue; immature B and T cells are exposed to a variety of self-antigens. The immature cells are "tested" for reactivity against self-antigens, and self-reactive cells will meet one of several fates. The self-reactive cells may die by clonal deletion, undergo receptor editing to produce a new receptor that does not bind the self-antigen, or the cell may become anergic and may be released into the body.
Peripheral tolerance is regulated by several factors outside primary lymphoid tissue:
  • Regulatory T cells help inhibit and destroy self-reactive B and T cells
  • Self-reactive cells are unable to receive the costimulatory signals required for their activation, thus resulting in their eventual death. Previously released self-reactive anergic cells will be eliminated by this mechanism.
  • The presence of immunologically privileged sites and tissue barriers which prevent exposure to certain self-antigens that may induce an autoimmune response.
The loss of one or more of these mechanisms may influence the development of autoimmune disease.