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Nature Medicine 6, 259 - 261 (2000)
doi:10.1038/73101

Positive selection for autoimmunity

Syamal K. Datta1

  1. Departments of Medicine (Rheumatology Division) and Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern Universtiy Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA.
    e-mail:  skd257@nwu.edu


Negative selection of developing T cells in the thymus is not the only mechanism by which central tolerance to self antigens is acquired. Alternative possibilities are demonstrated in a new model of autoimmune disease (pages 298–305).


Autoimmunity is prevented by central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms. T cells developing centrally (in the thymus) that happen to generate high-affinity receptors for self-peptides are negatively selected or deleted, provided the peptides are adequately presented there.