CD8⁺ T Cells Specific for Cryptic Apoptosis-Associated Epitopes Exacerbate Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

The authors found that apoptosis-associated epitopes-specific CD8+ T cells were present in the lymphoid organs of unprimed mice, proliferated under peptide stimulation in vitro, but failed to respond to peptide immunization in vivo, suggesting a physiological control of this response.