Based on the findings that phagocytes produce and secrete TGF-β upon engulfment and digestion of apoptotic cells in vitro and in vivo (64, 66, 114), and that TGF-β is essential for the conversion of naive T cells into Tregs in the presence of TCR stimulation (56), we have successfully developed an experimental approach to induce autoantigen-specific Tregs in mice with autoimmune diseases. This evidence concerns the gene TGFB1 and autoimmune disease.