Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0348321 (Haemophilus)
 15,372 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune CNS demyelinating disease in which infection may be an important initiating factor. Pathogen-induced cross-activation of autoimmune T cells may occur by molecular mimicry. Infection with wild-type Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus induces a late-onset, progressive T cell-mediated demyelinating disease, similar to MS. To determine the potential of virus-induced autoimmunity by molecular mimicry, a nonpathogenic neurotropic Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus variant was engineered to encode a mimic peptide from protease IV of Haemophilus influenzae (HI), sharing 6 of 13 aa with the dominant encephalitogenic proteolipid protein (PLP) epitope PLP(139-151). Infection of SJL mice with the HI mimic-expressing virus induced a rapid-onset, nonprogressive paralytic disease characterized by potent activation of self-reactive PLP(139-151)-specific CD4(+) Th1 responses. In contrast, mice immunized with the HI mimic-peptide in CFA did not develop disease, associated with the failure to induce activation of PLP(139-151)-specific CD4(+) Th1 cells. However, preinfection with the mimic-expressing virus before mimic-peptide immunization led to severe disease. Therefore, infection with a mimic-expressing virus directly initiates organ-specific T cell-mediated autoimmunity, suggesting that pathogen-delivered innate immune signals may play a crucial role in triggering differentiation of pathogenic self-reactive responses. These results have important implications for explaining the pathogenesis of MS and other autoimmune diseases.
 ...
PMID:Viral delivery of an epitope from Haemophilus influenzae induces central nervous system autoimmune disease by molecular mimicry. 1563 13

MS is an autoimmune CNS demyelinating disease in which infection appears to be an important pathogenic factor. Molecular mimicry, the cross-activation of autoreactive T cells by mimic peptides from infectious agents, is a possible explanation for infection-induced autoimmunity. Infection of mice with a non-pathogenic strain of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) engineered to express an epitope from Haemophilus influenzae (HI) sharing 6/13 amino acids with the dominant proteolipid protein (PLP) epitope, PLP139-151, can induce CNS autoimmune disease. Here we demonstrate that another PLP139-151 mimic sequence derived from murine hepatitis virus (MHV) which shares only 3/13 amino acids with PLP139-151 can also induce CNS autoimmune disease, but only when delivered by genetically engineered TMEV, not by immunization with the MHV peptide. Further, we demonstrate the importance of proline at the secondary MHC class II contact residue for effective cross-reactivity, as addition of this amino acid to the native MHV sequence increases its ability to cross-activate PLP139-151-specific autoreactive T cells, while substitution of proline in the HI mimic peptide has the opposite effect. This study describes a structural requirement for potential PLP139-151 mimic peptides, and provides further evidence for infection-induced molecular mimicry in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease.
 ...
PMID:Structural requirements for initiation of cross-reactivity and CNS autoimmunity with a PLP139-151 mimic peptide derived from murine hepatitis virus. 1698 Nov 79