Sleeping with the enemy - Endogenous superantigens in humans

Authors
Posnett, DN Yarilina, AA
Citation
Dn. Posnett et Aa. Yarilina, Sleeping with the enemy - Endogenous superantigens in humans, IMMUNITY, 15(4), 2001, pp. 503-506
Citations number
32
Categorie Soggetti
Immunology
Journal title
IMMUNITY
ISSN journal
10747613 → ACNP
Volume
15
Issue
4
Year of publication
2001
Pages
503 - 506
Database
ISI
SICI code
1074-7613(200110)15:4<503:SWTE-E>2.0.ZU;2-9
Abstract
We usually think of superantigens (SAg) as dangerous toxins that may cause toxic shock syndrome and death (Marrack and Kappier, 1990). Now, based on t wo papers in this issue of Immunity, it seems that we all have SAg genes wi thin us, lying dormant and waiting to be activated under special circumstan ces (Sutkowski et al., 2001; Stauffer et al., 2001).