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Science 15 November 2002:
Vol. 298. no. 5597, p. 1295
DOI: 10.1126/science.298.5597.1295f
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This Week in Science

Most T cells that react to self-antigens are deleted in the thymus during development, but how do a multitude of tissue-restricted self-proteins find their way to the thymus in the first place? One proposed solution to this puzzle has been that cells of the thymus also express certain "tissue-restricted" genes. Anderson et al. (p. 1395; see the Perspective by Ohashi) show that a transcription factor, termed autoimmune regulator or Aire, controls ectopic gene expression in thymic epithelial cells. In the absence of Aire, mice developed autoimmunity against target organs, such as salivary gland and ovary, with a corresponding loss of expression of target tissue-specific genes by the thymic epithelial cells.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)