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Immunological function of a defined T-cell population tolerized to low-affinity self antigens

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A Correction to this article was published on 01 November 1995

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Abstract

IN the thymus there are two major mechanisms of T-lymphocyte tolerance: clonal deletion and clonal inactivation1–3. One important problem underlying the mechanism of clonal inactivation is why unresponsive cells are maintained in the mature peripheral T-cell repertoire. Here we report that transgenic αβ T-cells may be tolerized to a self antigen Mls-la, but still retain proliferative responses for alternative peptide antigens and superantigens. These self-tolerant T cells can also provide immunopathological and memory cytotoxic function in vivo. We propose that high-affinity/avidity self-reactive T cells are deleted in the thymus, whereas lower-affinity/avidity interactions lead to unresponsiveness and define the ‘resting threshold’ for a given T cell. These low-affinity self-tolerant T cells remain functionally competent for high-affinity foreign antigens, and efficiently eliminate natural pathogensin vivo.

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Kawai, K., Ohashi, P. Immunological function of a defined T-cell population tolerized to low-affinity self antigens. Nature 374, 68–69 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/374068a0

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