How does the immune system distinguish among pathogens? - Why does the immune system not attack the body or food? - Self tolerance
5 important questions on How does the immune system distinguish among pathogens? - Why does the immune system not attack the body or food? - Self tolerance
What is peripheral tolerance?
What are central tolerance checks of T cells?
2. Negative selection in the medulla: Surviving T cells are exposed to self antigens, if they recognize them, apoptosis (some moderately self-reactive cells become natural Tregs)
What are central tolerance checks of B cells
- Receptor editing (first attempt to fix itself): if new receptor is non-self reactive, they survive, otherwise apoptosis via clonal deletion. If they are weak they can also become anergic before exiting to periphery
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What does peripheral tolerance check look like?
1. Anergy: The B cell sees self-antigen without danger signals → it becomes functionally silent. Alive but permanently inactive.
2. Apoptosis (clonal deletion) If self-reactivity is strong → cell is killed.
3. Treg suppression: Regulatory T cells shut down self-reactive lymphocytes by: IL-10 TGF-β cell-cell contact This is active immune braking.
What is central tolerance?
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