Peripheral clonal elimination of functional T cells.

A major mechanism for generating tolerance in developing T cells is the intrathymic clonal deletion of T cells that have receptors for those self antigens that are presented on hematopoietic cells. The mechanisms of tolerance induction to antigens not expressed in the thymus remain unclear. Tolerance to self antigens can be generated extrathymically through the induction of clonal nonresponsiveness in T cells with self-reactive receptors. A second mechanism of extrathymic tolerance was identified: clonal elimination of mature T cells with self-reactive receptors that had previously displayed functional reactivity.