REGULATION OF IMMUNE-RESPONSES AT MUCOSAL SURFACES - ALLERGIC RESPIRATORY-DISEASE AS A PARADIGM

The epithelial surfaces of the respiratory tract represent a fragile i nterface between the immune system and the outside environment. In ord er to maintain local homeostasis, the adaptive immune system must cont inuously discriminate between innocuous antigens which are ubiquitous in the atmosphere, and antigens associated with microbial pathogens. A ny breakdown in this discrimination process can potentially lead to ch ronic inflammatory disease. The mechanisms employed by the mucosal imm une system to maintain this delicate balance are many and varied, and a comprehensive understanding of how they collectively operate would p rovide novel insight into a wide variety of diseases. This discussion reviews recent progress in this area, focusing on allergic respiratory disease as a model for the study of immune regulation at mucosal surf aces.