For autoimmunity to arise, the peptide must be presented by antigen-presenting cells to naïve CD4(pos) T-helper (Th0) cells.
Once activated, Th0-cells can differentiate into Th1-, Th2-, or Th17-cells, initiating a cascade of immune reactions that are determined by the cytokines they produce. Autoantigen recognition and the above effector mechanisms are opposed by regulatory T-cells, a cell subset numerically and functionally impaired in autoimmune hepatitis.