Introduction: mechanisms of tissue injury in autoimmune diseases.

This issue of Seminars in Immunopathology is devoted to the most recent developments in our understanding of the mechanisms leading to tissue injury in autoimmune diseases. These include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, type I diabetes, autoimmune liver diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, autoimmune skin diseases, autoimmune uveitis, and autoinflammatory diseases. This impressive account of basic and clinical research in a wide spectrum of immunological disorders provides the reader with a comprehensive view of the common and unique features of these diverse conditions. It may also provide one with many new ideas for therapeutic intervention in the natural course of these autoimmune syndromes.