Autoreactive effector lymphocyte

Autoreactive effector lymphocytes are T cells or B cells capable of recognizing and attacking the body's own tissues due to a breakdown in self-tolerance mechanisms. Normally, developing lymphocytes that recognize self-antigens too strongly are deleted, but some autoreactive cells escape central and peripheral tolerance due to imperfect selection in the thymus or bone marrow. Once activated—often under inflammatory conditions—they participate in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases by killing cells (CD8+ T cells), orchestrating inflammation (CD4+ T cells), or producing autoantibodies (B cells). Therapeutically, the broad population of autoreactive effector lymphocytes is targeted using drugs that suppress immune function, deplete lymphocytes, or block inflammatory pathways. They are functionally defined and not a single molecular or protein target, which limits the specificity of directly targeting this population compared to defined molecules.

Other names

Autoreactive T lymphocyteAutoreactive B lymphocyteAutoreactive T cellAutoreactive immune effector cell

Inhibition of lymphocyte activation or proliferation; blockade of costimulatory pathways; depletion of B cells; modulation of cytokine environment; blocking migration of lymphocytes into tissues.