autoreactive

adjective

au·​to·​re·​ac·​tive ˌȯt-ō-rē-ˈak-tiv How to pronounce autoreactive (audio)
: produced by an organism and acting against its own cells or tissues
It has been presumed that autoreactive B cells, like normal B cells, accumulate in the follicles of lymphoid tissues after encountering antigen and begin to proliferate, producing high-affinity autoantibodies and forming germinal centers.Yang-Xin Fu and Ursula Storb, Science
autoreactivity noun
plural autoreactivities
At the same time, autoreactivity of B cells and T cells is present in all normal persons, and a complex set of regulatory mechanisms is required to prevent overt destruction of tissue through autoimmunity. Peter K. Gregersen, The New England Journal of Medicine

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Cite this Entry

“Autoreactive.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/autoreactive. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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