ORIGIN OF ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODIES - INDUCTION OF APL BY VIRAL PEPTIDES

The clinical associations of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) are wel l recognized but the mechanism(s) causing the production of these anti bodies are not yet known. We demonstrated the induction of pathogenic aPL antibodies that caused intrauterine fetal death and transverse mye lopathy due to spinal cord infarction in mice by immunization with for eign beta(2)GPI. We also induced aPL and anti-beta(2)-GPI in mice by i mmunization with PL-binding viral peptides and hypothesized that in AP S patients, aPL may be induced by beta(2)GPI-like-PL-binding products of common human bacteria and viruses.