This suggests that the anti-inflammatory properties of APCs coupled with the intrinsic characteristics of CD4+ T cells were contributing to resistance to autoimmunity in the two-week old mouse (see Sections “Pre-pubertal CD4+ T cells exhibit a higher reactivity to self-antigens that is balanced by increased Treg activity prior to puberty” and “Th2 responses dominate in neonates and gradually shift towards Th1 with age, with Th1 responses becoming more dominant in females post-puberty” for further discussion about how Th2 and Treg responses are enhanced in neonates). This evidence concerns the gene CD4 and Autoimmunity.