ABSTRACT
Autoimmunity can be observed following transplantation of allogeneic cells into recipients incapable of rejecting the foreign cells. The autoimmune reaction is driven, in most cases, by immunocompetent T lymphocytes present in either the donor inoculum, resulting in graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) or present in the host environment, resulting in host-vs graft disease (HVG). In this chapter, we will examine the mechanisms by which an initially allogeneic immune response results in autoimmunity.
