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T cell-independent
rescue of B lymphocytes from peripheral
immune tolerance
Kouskoff, V., Lacaud,
G., and Nemazee, D.
Science 287:2501.
In this study the authors address
the question of what triggers are
required to break self tolerance and
generate autoantibodies. The authors
engineered mice to express B cells
specific for a self antigen expressed
in the liver. Normally these B cells
are eliminated from the periphery
when they encounter the self antigen.
However when these mice are immunized
with a bacteriophage that expresses
a peptide mimic of the self antigen,
self-tolerance is broken and the mice
now make autoantibody. The production
of the autoantibody was independent
of T-cell help as it could be elicited
in mice lacking T-cells. These experiments
add support to the concept that microbial
infection can cause a breakdown in
self-tolerance and might initiate
autoimmune disease.
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