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Advantage of having regulatory T cells requires localized suppression of immune reactions
- Source :
-
Journal of Theoretical Biology . Oct2009, Vol. 260 Issue 3, p392-401. 10p. - Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- Abstract: The immune system of vertebrates may attack its own body and cause autoimmunity diseases. To prevent autoimmunity, regulatory T cells suppress the activity of the autoreactive effector T cells, but they also interrupt normal immune reactions against foreign antigens. In this paper, we discuss the advantage of having some regulatory T cells by considering the host''s ability of coping with foreign antigens and the harm of autoimmunity. Assumptions are as follows: the immature T cells reactive to abundant self-antigens are eliminated, those reactive to rare self-antigen will become regulatory T cells, and those that fail to interact with the antigens to which they are reactive will become effector T cells. Some self-reactive immature T cells may fail to interact with their own target antigens during the limited training period, and will later become effector T cells, causing autoimmunity. Analysis suggests that, having some regulatory T cells can never be advantageous to the host, if activated regulatory T cells suppress effector T cells at any location of the body (global suppression). In contrast, producing some regulatory T cells can be beneficial, if the body is composed of many compartments and regulatory T cells suppress the immune reactions only within the same compartment (localized suppression). This requires regulatory T cells to stop circulating once they are activated by their own target self-antigens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00225193
- Volume :
- 260
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Theoretical Biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 44120481
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.06.020