Penetration of autoantibodies into living cells, 2000

The formerly prevalent concept that intact autoantibodies could not penetra te into viable cells has been defeated by a large amount of experimental fi ndings and clinical observations that indicate otherwise. The penetration o f autoantibodies into living cells seems to participate in the pathogenesis of diverse autoimmune diseases, but it may also play a physiological role in healthy individuals, Although the fine mechanisms of the phenomenon rema in to be elucidated, the potential use of penetrating autoantibodies as Vec tors to deliver molecules into cells, with diverse therapeutic purposes, ha s gained growing interest during the last few years.