FILACI , Gilberto

The autoimmune regulator gene (AIRE) is a transcription factor expressed both in the thymus, by medullary thymic epithelial cells, and in secondary lymphoid organs. AIRE controls the local transcription of organ- specific proteins typically expressed in peripheral tissues, thus allowing the negative selection of self- reactive T cells. The...

The pathogenesis of HIV immunodeficiency is mainly dependent on the cytopatic effects exerted by the virus against infected CD4+ T cells. However, CD4+ T cell loss cannot be the only pathogenic factor since severe opportunistic infections may develop in HIV infected patients with normal CD4+ T cell counts and since the recent START study...