Physiology and Pathology of Immune Dysregulation: Regulatory T Cells and Anergy

Abstract

The immune system is responsible for the defense of the organism. It controls what is introduced into it and identifies it as self from non-self. The defensive mechanisms activated by the immune system are directed against pathological microbes and toxic or allergenic proteins, and it must avoid responses that produce excessive damage of self-tissues, inducing tolerance to avoid autoimmunity and other immunopathologies. Regulatory Tcells play an essential role in these active processes, using several distinct suppressive mechanisms. The immune dysregulatory diseases result from defects affecting regulatory T cell development and/or function, including the impact of essential genes mutations for Tregulatory cell functions and the associated autoimmune syndromes.