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Historical overview of immunological tolerance
1Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0420, USA. rs34r@nih.gov
Abstract:
A fundamental property of the immune system is its ability to mediate self-defense with a minimal amount of collateral damage to the host. The system uses several different mechanisms to achieve this goal, which is collectively referred to as the "process of immunological tolerance." This article provides an introductory historical overview to these various mechanisms, which are discussed in greater detail throughout this collection, and then briefly describes what happens when this process fails, a state referred to as "autoimmunity."
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