AIRE and autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1: The overall pattern of multi-organ autoimmunity is consistent between the AIRE-deficient mouse strains and humans, especially individuals with a specific syndrome called autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), which is a monogenic autoimmune disease caused by mutations in the Aire gene sequence (8, 53).