Immunity
Volume 8, Issue 5, 1 May 1998, Pages 563-570
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Article
Allelic Inclusion of T Cell Receptor α Genes Poses an Autoimmune Hazard Due to Low-Level Expression of Autospecific Receptors

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Abstract

Organ-specific autoimmune disease can be caused by αβ T cells that have escaped self-tolerance induction. Here we show that one of the causes of escape from self-tolerance is the coexpression of two different T cell receptors by the same cell, which can occur in up to 30% of all T cells in normal mice and can lead to low-level surface expression of an autospecific TCR. We found that double receptor–expressing T cells can escape tolerance even to ubiquitously expressed antigens but can nevertheless induce autoimmune diabetes when the relevant protein is expressed in pancreatic tissue. Such diabetogenic T cells are absent, however, among T cells expressing the autospecific TCR as the sole receptor.

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