Clonal deletion
Encyclopedia
Clonal deletion is a process by which B cell
s and T cell
s are deactivated after they have expressed receptors for self-antigens and before they develop into fully immunocompetent lymphocytes.
It is one method of immune tolerance
.
B cell
B cells are lymphocytes that play a large role in the humoral immune response . The principal functions of B cells are to make antibodies against antigens, perform the role of antigen-presenting cells and eventually develop into memory B cells after activation by antigen interaction...
s and T cell
T cell
T cells or T lymphocytes belong to a group of white blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in cell-mediated immunity. They can be distinguished from other lymphocytes, such as B cells and natural killer cells , by the presence of a T cell receptor on the cell surface. They are...
s are deactivated after they have expressed receptors for self-antigens and before they develop into fully immunocompetent lymphocytes.
It is one method of immune tolerance
Immune tolerance
Immune tolerance or immunological tolerance is the process by which the immune system does not attack an antigen. It can be either 'natural' or 'self tolerance', in which the body does not mount an immune response to self antigens, or 'induced tolerance', in which tolerance to external antigens can...
.