Revisiting the Mechanisms of CNS Immune Privilege

Immune Privilege as an Intrinsic CNS Property: Astrocytes Protect the CNS against T-Cell-Mediated Neuroinflammation

Astrocytes have many functions in the central nervous system (CNS). They support differentiation and homeostasis of neurons and influence synaptic activity. They are responsible for formation of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and make up the glia limitans. Here, we review their contribution to neuroimmune interactions and in particular to those induced by the invasion of activated T cells. We di...

Immune Privilege of the Testis: Meaning, Mechanisms, and Manifestations

The mammalian testis belongs among a small number of tissues that can unambiguously be called “immunologically privileged,” as demonstrated by the ability to tolerate not only testicular autoantigens but also alloand xenoantigens experimentally located within the testis environment. The mechanisms underlying this privilege remain poorly understood compared with more intensively studied models o...

Immune privilege of the CNS is not the consequence of limited antigen sampling

Central nervous system (CNS) immune privilege is complex, and it is still not understood how CNS antigens are sampled by the peripheral immune system under steady state conditions. To compare antigen sampling from immune-privileged or nonprivileged tissues, we created transgenic mice with oligodendrocyte or gut epithelial cell expression of an EGFP-tagged fusion protein containing ovalbumin (OV...

Therapeutic Implications of Immune-Privilege Mechanisms: Emphasis on ACAID

Immune Privilege

T he concept of immune privilege refers to the observation that tissue grafts placed in certain anatomical sites, including the brain and eye, can survive for extended periods of time (1). Immune privilege is thought to reflect an evolutionary adaptation to protect vital structures from damage by inflammatory responses directed against pathogens. It was originally believed that antigens in immu...