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Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are the clinical correlate of a dysregulation of the immune system,
involving multiple steps and multiple components of both the innate and the adaptive
immune system. Innate immune cells are sensitive to a very limited repertoire of foreign
"patterns" that bind to selective "pattern recognition receptors". In contrast, adaptive
auto-reactive T or B cells bear receptors specific for antigens including "self" antigens
and are rendered non-reactive by several "quality control" mechanisms. Under special
conditions, activation of cells of the innate immune system can break the state of
inactivity of auto-reactive cells of the adaptive immune system, thereby provoking
autoimmune disease. Here we review examples to illustrate how innate immune activation
influences autoimmune disease and point to the implications for the treatment of human
autoimmune disease.