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Dysregulation of immune homeostasis in autoimmune diseases

Nature Medicine volume 18, pages 42–47 (2012)Cite this article

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Great strides have been made in our understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Research has identified genetic associations, new functional subsets of effector and regulatory T cells and the gut microbiota as crucial environmental factors in regulating immune function. This commentary discusses recent advances in our understanding of genetic and environmental factors as well as the role of innate and adaptive immune responses in driving immune-mediated tissue injury.

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Figure 1: The balance between regulatory and pathogenic effector T cell subsets in health and autoimmune disease.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vijay K. Kuchroo is at the Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,

    Vijay K Kuchroo

  2. Departments of Medical Biophysics and Immunology, Pamela S. Ohashi is at the Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research, Ontario Cancer Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,

    Pamela S Ohashi

  3. R. Balfour Sartor is at the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,

    R Balfour Sartor

  4. Carola G. Vinuesa is at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,

    Carola G Vinuesa

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  1. Vijay K Kuchroo
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  2. Pamela S Ohashi
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  3. R Balfour Sartor
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  4. Carola G Vinuesa
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Correspondence to Vijay K Kuchroo.

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Kuchroo, V., Ohashi, P., Sartor, R. et al. Dysregulation of immune homeostasis in autoimmune diseases. Nat Med 18, 42–47 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.2621

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