Abstract
Abstract Mechanisms occurring in the thymus and periphery are responsible for the generation and maintenance of tolerance in the immune system. Various reports have shown that the existence of an antigen in the peripheral circulation results in tolerance induction towards that protein. These observations imply that the lack of a self antigen can lead to induction of autoimmunity. Previously we have reported that Tyrosinase related protein-2 (TRP-2) transcripts from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are absent in vitiligo patients but present in healthy individuals. Here, we show that MART1 (Melanoma antigen recognized by T cells) transcripts are not detected in the PBMCs of vitiligo patients but is detected in healthy controls. Our result suggests that as MART1 is not expressed in the PBMCs, MART1 is also not available for induction and maintenance of peripheral tolerance in vitiligo patients. We therefore conclude that nonexpression of MART1 in PBMCs of vitiligo patients may be somehow responsible for the tolerance breakdown finally resulting in the induction of autoimmunity seen against these self antigens in vitiligo.
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