One of the main roles of the immune system is to distinguish between autologous and
nonself antigens. This feature of the immune system enables it to identify and react with …

According to Burnet's clonal selection theory,'in the early 1960s, explanations for tolerance
and autoimmunity were attractively simple. Autoreactive lymphocytes were deleted during …

The proposal made here is that disease-producing autoantibodies originate from a pool of
preexisting natural autoantibodies that occurs in normal animals and humans. The natural …

The problem of autoimmunity has occupied a central position in immunology for at least the
past 85 years. The major issue, until recently, has been to explain how the body generates …

There is evidence indicating that autoreactive B cells constitute a substantial part of the B
cell repertoire. This autoreactive repertoire secretes the so-called natural autoantibodies …

It is generally accepted that the principal function of the immune system is the protection of
animals against infectious environmental agents and toxic products. As a consequence, the …

Since Burnet first introduced his “forbidden clones” theory, the discrimination between self
and non-self and the physiologic mechanisms of avoiding autoimmunity remained an …

Antibodies that are present in the serum of healthy individuals in the absence of deliberate
immunization with any antigen, are refered to as natural antibodies. A vast majority of natural …

Burnet's influential theory of the immune system maintained that lymphocytes capable of
recognizing self-antigens are eliminated during ontogeny (Burnet 1959). According to his …

Autoimmune disease is a disorder that occurs because of autoimmunity. Natural
autoantibodies (NAb) are an important component of the normal immune system, and B cells …