S. Albani et al., POSITIVE SELECTION IN AUTOIMMUNITY - ABNORMAL IMMUNE-RESPONSES TO A BACTERIAL DNAJ ANTIGENIC DETERMINANT IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS, Nature medicine, 1(5), 1995, pp. 448-452
Citations number
32
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, Research & Experimental",Biology,"Cell Biology
A novel 'multistep molecular mimicry' mechanism for induction of rheum
atoid arthritis (RA) by bacterial antigens that activate T lymphocytes
previously 'educated' by peptides derived from a class of human histo
compatibility antigens is reported here. These antigens have the amino
acid sequence QKRAA, which is also present on the Escherichia coli he
at-shock protein dnaj. Synovial fluid cells of early RA patients have
strong immune responses to the bacterial antigen, but cells from norma
l subjects or controls with other autoimmune diseases do not. The acti
vated T cells may cross-react with autologous dnaj heat-shock proteins
that are expressed at synovial sites of inflammation. Our findings ma
y have direct relevance to new strategies for the immune therapy of RA
.