Immune Tolerance Overview

Immune or immunological tolerance is the process by which the immune system does not attack an antigen. It occurs in three forms: central tolerance, peripheral tolerance and acquired tolerance. Genetic defects in these processes lead to autoimmunity, such as in the human syndromes APS-1 and IPEX. Central tolerance occurs during lymphocyte development and operates in the thymus and bone marrow. Here, T and B lymphocytes that recognize self antigens are...