Endocrine Abstracts

AIRE gene is defective in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) disease. The disease usually starts in early childhood and is characterized by progressive autoimmune destruction of many endocrine and non-endocrine organs and, in addition, mucocutaneous candidiasis. An important characteristic is the presence of autoantibodies against multiple defined antigens. In most cases, these are tissue-specific proteins with important functions in the af...