简介:ImmunizationwithinactivatedautoreactiveTcells(Tcellvaccination)selectedfromindividual'sownTcellrepertoireprovidesauniqueinvivosettingfortestingimmuneregulationthatisknowntoinvolveinteractionsofavarietyofrelatedsurfacemolecules(1).ItinducesregulatoryimmuneresponsesthatcloselyresembletheinvivosituationwheretheimmunesystemischallengedbyclonalactivationandexpansionofgivenTcellpopulationsinvariousautoimmunediseases.TcellvaccinationprovidesapowerfulmeansofelicitingnaturalreactionsoftheimmunesysteminresponsetoclonalexpansionofTcells,whichcanusedasatherapeuticapproachtosuppressoreliminatespecificpathogenicautoreactiveTcellsinautoimmuneconditions.ClinicaltrialsusingTcellvaccinationtodepleteautoreactiveTcellsinhumanautoimmuneconditionshavebeguntorevealthepathologicrelevanceofvariousautoimmuneTcellpopulationsinthediseaseprocesses,providingauniqueopportunitytotesttheautoimmunetheoriesinaclinicalsetting.Cellular&MolecularImmunology.2004;1(5):321-327.