| First Author | Walker LS | Year | 2002 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 169 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 6202-9 |
| PubMed ID | 12444125 | Mgi Jnum | J:119321 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3701753 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.169.11.6202 |
| Citation | Walker LS, et al. (2002) CTLA-4 differentially regulates T cell responses to endogenous tissue protein versus exogenous immunogen. J Immunol 169(11):6202-9 |
| abstractText | CTLA-4 is critical to the regulation of CD4 T cell homeostasis in vivo. However, whether CTLA-4 regulates responses to both self and foreign proteins is not clear. We have directly compared the role of CTLA-4 in controlling T cell responses to the same protein presented as an endogenous tissue Ag vs a foreign immunizing Ag. We show that CTLA-4 only modestly reduces responses to Ag administered with adjuvant, but dramatically inhibits responses to the same Ag expressed transgenically as a tissue self protein. The critical consequence of CTLA-4 engagement is to inhibit T cell accumulation in the local lymph node draining the Ag-bearing tissue, and failure of this control leads to the onset of autoimmune tissue destruction. Thus, CTLA-4 may preferentially dampen pathologic immune responses to self proteins while permitting protective immunity to foreign agents. |
