Experimental models of autoimmune diseases

Abstract

Several experimental models of autoimmune diseases have been studied which often mimic the human situation. Autoreactive T cells that emerge either spontaneously or after immunization have been identified in several stiuations. The main lesson from these models is that these autoreactive T cells are negatively controlled in the normal situation and that a defect either inherited or acquired in this regulatory circuit is responsible for autoimmunity.