Figure 1.

Emergent pathways of lymphoid organization in autoimmune disease. We propose that distinct pathways of lymphoid neogenesis can be set in place by an antigen-driven immune response occurring in extranodal tissue. Selection of the pathway depends on modulating host factors, including the aberrant expression of cytokines/chemokines and the recruitment of cellular components necessary for certain types of lymphoid microstructures. The organization of the lymphoid infiltrate may confer capabilities that fundamentally affect the quality and quantity of the pathological immune response and thus have direct implications in accelerating the breakdown in self-tolerance.