Abstract
Burnet appreciated the requirement for self/non-self discrimination and presciently postulated elimination of auto-aggressive cells during early life. He could not have known that, for T cells, a limited degree of autoreactivity is beneficial for the immune system. Here, we review evidence that recognition of self-components keeps T cells alive and regulates self-tolerance.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Antigen Presentation / immunology
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Autoimmunity / immunology*
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Cell Survival / immunology
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Clonal Deletion / immunology
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Homeostasis / immunology
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Humans
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Interleukin-15 / immunology
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Interleukin-15 / metabolism
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Interleukin-2 / immunology
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Interleukin-2 / metabolism
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Interleukin-7 / immunology
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Interleukin-7 / metabolism
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Major Histocompatibility Complex / immunology*
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Mice
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Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / immunology
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Self Tolerance / immunology*
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Signal Transduction / genetics
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Signal Transduction / immunology
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T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
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T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
Substances
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Interleukin-15
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Interleukin-2
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Interleukin-7
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Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell