See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil: The lessons of immune privilege

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

374 Scopus citations

Abstract

Immune-mediated inflammation and allograft rejection are greatly reduced in certain organs, a phenomenon called 'immune privilege'. Immune privilege is well developed in three regions of the body: the eye, the brain and the pregnant uterus. Immune-mediated inflammation has devastating consequences in the eye and brain, which have limited capacity for regeneration. Likewise, loss of immune privilege at the maternal-fetal interface culminates in abortion in rodents. However, all three regions share many adaptations that restrict the induction and expression of immune-mediated inflammation. A growing body of evidence from rodent studies suggests that a breakdown in immune privilege contributes to multiple sclerosis, uveitis, corneal allograft rejection and possibly even immune abortion.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)354-359
Number of pages6
JournalNature immunology
Volume7
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2006

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

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