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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets

Mouse Naïve CD4⁺ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets

Published on: April 16, 2015

Activating systemic autoimmunity: B's, T's, and tolls.

Mark J Shlomchik¹

¹Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Box 208035, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. mark.shlomchik@yale.edu

Current Opinion in Immunology

|October 6, 2009

Summary

B-cell-targeted therapy shows promise for autoimmune diseases. This study proposes a model where autoreactive B cells, activated by BCR and TLR signals, initiate autoimmunity by breaking T cell tolerance.

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Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Mouse Naïve CD4+ T Cell Isolation and In vitro Differentiation into T Cell Subsets

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Interrogating Individual Autoreactive Germinal Centers by Photoactivation in a Mixed Chimeric Model of Autoimmunity

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Isolation and Th17 Differentiation of Naïve CD4 T Lymphocytes

Isolation and Th17 Differentiation of Naïve CD4 T Lymphocytes

Published on: September 26, 2013

Area of Science:

Immunology
Autoimmune Diseases
B-cell Biology

Background:

B-cell-targeted therapy is effective for autoimmune diseases like systemic autoimmunity.
The precise mechanism involves blocking B cell antigen presentation to T cells.
T-cell and B-cell interactions create a feedback loop sustaining autoimmunity.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose a model for the initial breakdown of self-tolerance in autoimmune diseases.
To elucidate the early events triggering the autoimmune feedback loop.

Main Methods:

Review of recent data on B-cell activation and tolerance.
Development of a theoretical model based on proposed mechanisms.

Main Results:

Autoreactive B cells can be activated independently of T cells.
Activation requires both B-cell receptor (BCR) and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signals.
These activated B cells subsequently break T cell tolerance.

Conclusions:

The proposed model explains the initiation of autoimmunity.
Early B-cell activation is a critical, T-cell-independent step.
This model provides a framework for understanding and potentially treating autoimmune diseases.