Description
Peripheral tolerance induction is critical for the maintenance of self-tolerance and can be mediated by immunoregulatory T cells or by direct induction of T cell anergy or deletion. While the molecular processes underlying anergy have been extensively studied, little is known about the molecular basis for peripheral T cell deletion. Here, we determined the gene expression signature of peripheral CD8+ T cells undergoing deletional tolerance, relative to those undergoing immunogenic priming or lymphopenia-induced proliferation. From these data, we report the first detailed molecular signature of cells undergoing deletion.