PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bluestone, J A
TI  - Is CTLA-4 a master switch for peripheral T cell tolerance?
DP  - 1997 Mar 01
TA  - The Journal of Immunology
PG  - 1989--1993
VI  - 158
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.jimmunol.org/content/158/5/1989.short
4100  - http://www.jimmunol.org/content/158/5/1989.full
SO  - J. Immunol.1997 Mar 01; 158
AB  - The CD28/CTLA-4 and B7 families of cell surface molecules regulate a complex pathway of T cell signals that profoundly affect peripheral T cell responses. On the one hand, CD28/B7-mediated T cell costimulation is essential for the development and maintenance of T cell responses. In contrast, the prevailing data suggest that the engagement of CTLA-4 with the same B7 ligands down-regulates the initiation and progression of immune responses. This commentary examines the role of CTLA-4-mediated signaling in the regulation of the immune response, leading to the hypothesis that the CTLA-4/B7 interaction plays an essential role in the establishment of peripheral self-tolerance as well as the regulation of normal T cell immunity.