Effects and Regulation of Autoreactive CD8+ T Cells in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Autoimmune Hepatitis

The continuous development of a few, HA-specific CD8+ effector T cells is sufficient to induce chronic hepatitis. Peripheral tolerance mechanisms such as induction of T-cell anergy and accumulation of regulatory CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells protect the liver from severe damage. Our mouse model that spontaneously develops chronic autoimmune-mediated hepatitis provides a new tool to investigate autoantigen-specific T-cell responses and regulatory mechanisms involved in the prevention and pathogenesis of AIH.