Current Concepts in Autoimmunity and Chronic Inflammation (Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology Book 305)

The ethiopathologies of autoimmune diseases are complex. A broad variety of cell types and gene products are involved. However, clinical and experimental evidence suggests that the importance of an individual factor changes during the course of the disease. Factors and cell types that induce acute autoreactivity and initiate an autoimmune disease could be distinct from those that drive a chronic course of that disease. The immune system has been known to be capable of distinguishing self from non-self since the pioneering work of Paul Erhlich more than a century ago. Originally described in experiments studying blood transfusion comp- ibility, the principle of “horror autotoxicus” is still valid, although today the phenomenon is usually described in terms of tolerance or ignorance. A great deal has been learned about the various processes preventing self-reactivity normally. These include processes that operate during immune cell ontogeny and subsequently on reactivity of mature lymphocytes in the periphery. They encompass mechanisms that are intrinsic to potentially reactive lymphocytes and can result in central or peripheral deletion or the alteration of functional potential. In addition, there are in?uences that are extrinsic to potentially auto-reactive lymphocytes, including the function of regulatory cells, d- ferentiation state of antigen-presenting cells, availability of self-antigen, the cytokine and chemokine milieu, as well as the traf?cking patterns involved in generating productive immune interactions. It is clear that the immune system devotes a considerable effort to the avoidance of the development of potentially pathogenic self-reactivity. Despite this, the development of self-reactivity is relatively common. - though the development of autoimmune disease is less frequent, autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus e- thematosus, psoriasis, thyroiditis, and myasthenia gravis, are all too common, and can cause considerable morbidity and even mortality. B Cell Tolerance: How To Make It And How To Break It / F. Melchers And A.r. Rolink -- Breaking Ignorance: The Case Of The Brain / H. Wekerle -- Naturally Arising Foxp3-expressing Cd25cd4+ Regulatory T Cells In Self-tolerance And Autoimmune Disease / S. Sakaguchi [and Others] -- Sex Hormones And Sle: Influencing The Fate Of Autoreactive B Cells / J.f.g. Cohen-solal [and Others] -- Innate (over)immunity And Adaptive Autoimmune Disease / M. Recher And K.s. Lang -- Can Unresolved Infection Precipitate Autoimmune Disease? / D.j.b. Marks [and Others] -- The Systemic Autoinflammatory Diseases: Inborn Errors Of The Innate Immune System / S. Brydges And D.l. Kastner -- Inefficient Clearance Of Dying Cells And Autoreactivity / U.s. Gaipl [and Others] -- The Importance Of T Cell Interactions With Macrophages In Rheumatoid Cytokine Production / F.m. Brennan, A.d. Foey, And M. Feldmann -- T Cell Activation As Starter And Motor Of Rheumatic Inflammation / A. Skapenko, P.e. Lipsky, And H. Schulze-koops -- Signalling Pathways In B Cells: Implications For Autoimmunity / T. Dörner And P.e. Lipsky -- Immunological Memory Stabilizing Autoreactivity / R.a. Manz [and Others] -- Genetics Of Autoimmune Diseases: A Multistep Process / M. Johannesson, M. Hultqvist, And R. Holmdahl. A. Radbruch And P.e. Lipsky (eds.). Includes Bibliographical References And Index.