Apoptosis, autoimmunity and lymphopoiesis in the adult

Abstract

There is a growing appreciation that apoptosis, or programmed cell death (PCD), plays a role in a wide variety of normal physiological processes. Net cell growth is regulated both positively and negatively and the molecular mechanisms for these modes of regulation are intimately related. Examples range from tissue modeling during embryogenesis to deletion of potentially autoreactive T cells during thymic lymphopoiesis. Accordingly, dysregulation of apoptosis has been proposed as a mechanism for a number of pathological states including autoimmunity and certain forms of cancer. This article reviewed the published data on the potential relationships between apoptosis and autoimmunity and advanced a hypothesis concerning the emergence of autoimmunity in conjunction with conditions which cause an increased rate of lymphocyte turnover.