Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.

Responsive image


Central tolerance

In immunology, central tolerance (also known as negative selection) is the process of eliminating any developing T or B lymphocytes that are autoreactive, i.e. reactive to the body itself.[1] Through elimination of autoreactive lymphocytes, tolerance ensures that the immune system does not attack self peptides.[2] Lymphocyte maturation (and central tolerance) occurs in primary lymphoid organs such as the bone marrow and the thymus. In mammals, B cells mature in the bone marrow and T cells mature in the thymus.[1]

Central tolerance is not perfect, so peripheral tolerance exists as a secondary mechanism to ensure that T and B cells are not self-reactive once they leave primary lymphoid organs.[3][page needed] Peripheral tolerance is distinct from central tolerance in that it occurs once developing immune cells exit primary lymphoid organs (the thymus and bone-marrow), prior to their export into the periphery.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Owen JA, Punt J, Stranford SA, Jones PP, Kuby J (2013). Kuby immunology (7th ed.). New York: W.H. Freeman. ISBN 978-1-4292-1919-8. OCLC 820117219.
  2. ^ Romagnani S (2006). "Immunological tolerance and autoimmunity". Internal and Emergency Medicine. 1 (3): 187–196. doi:10.1007/bf02934736. PMID 17120464. S2CID 27585046.
  3. ^ Janeway Jr CA, Travers P, Walport M, Shlomchik MJ (2001). Immunobiology 5: The Immune System in Health and Disease (5th ed.). New York: Garland. ISBN 978-0-8153-3642-6. OCLC 45708106.

Previous Page Next Page