Here is an article that might help you understand: T cell anergy is a tolerance mechanism in which the lymphocyte is intrinsically functionally inactivated following an antigen encounter, but remains alive for an extended period of time in a hyporesponsive state. Models of T cell anergy affecting both CD4+ and CD8+ cells fall into two broad categories. One, clonal anergy, is principally a growth arrest state, whereas the other, adaptive tolerance or in vivo anergy, represents a more generalized inhibition of proliferation and effector functions.......