In vivo development and reactivity of human autoreactive T cells

Narrative The mechanisms behind the abnormal release from the thymus of autoreactive T cells that cause autoimmune diseases remain largely unexplored in humans. The model that we generated will help assess the conditions that control thymic selection of human autoreactive T cells in an in vivo environment, including the various antigen-presenting cells involved and the conditions for their subsequent reactivity outside the thymus. These studies will provide valuable insights into the cause of autoimmune diseases and approaches to target autoreactive T cells for tolerance.