Balancing lymphocyte survival and death is key for generating the lymphocyte repertoire. Maintaining lymphocyte homeostasis is critical for appropriate responses to pathogens and immunological memory. Understanding the mechanisms that control lymphocyte survival or apoptosis are likely to provide valuable insights into autoimmune disease and lymphoid malignancy where the normal molecular check points fail. Multiple interactions that maintain homeostasis of the lymphocyte repertoire have been defined, but the intracellular molecular pathways that regulate survival remain elusive. Unexpected complexities are emerging where apoptotic molecules have been shown to play contradictory roles in lymphocyte proliferation. This meeting will highlight novel and exciting contributions to the field of lymphocyte tolerance and homeostasis. It will combine studies of basic mechanisms, defined molecules and in vivo biology to give a current picture of how lymphocyte lifespan and death is regulated. Diseases resulting from altered lymphocyte homeostasis and possible therapeutic targets will also be discussed. From this unique combination of perspectives, we hope to stimulate collaborations and new ideas to solve these key issues in lymphocyte biology.
