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The thymus and central tolerance
1Department of Immunology, IMM4, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
T cell tolerance to self-components occurs largely in the thymus during early differentiation and leads to death (negative selection) of T cells with overt autoreactivity. In this article we review the evidence that negative selection in mice occurs mainly in the medulla at the level of a population of semimature T cells. The role of Fas and several costimulatory molecules on negative selection and the inhibitory role of certain cytokines are discussed.
T cell tolerance to self-components occurs largely in the thymus during early differentiation and leads to death (negative selection) of T cells with overt autoreactivity. In this article we review the evidence that negative selection in mice occurs mainly in the medulla at the level of a population of semimature T cells. The role of Fas and several costimulatory molecules on negative selection and the inhibitory role of certain cytokines are discussed.