OT!! Autoimmunity/ Why doesn't the immune system attack the small intestine?

[Guest guest]

Why doesn't the immune system attack the small intestine? In a study in the February issue of Nature Immunology, and which is

currently available on the journal's Web site as an advanced online

publication, investigators led by Turley, PhD, of Dana-Farber

identify an unlikely group of peacemakers: lymph node cells that

instruct key immune system cells to leave healthy tissue alone. The

finding, which illuminates a previously unknown corner of the human

immune system, may lead to new forms of treatment for autoimmune

diseases such as Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.