Mahler M, Blüthner M, Pollard K M
Institute of Molecular Genetics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Clin Immunol. 2003 May;107(2):65-79. doi: 10.1016/s1521-6616(03)00037-8.
The characterization of autoantibody specificities in rheumatic diseases is important in both diagnostic and basic research areas. Identification of the epitopes recognized by autoantibodies and their clinical and biological significance is not a trivial task. Epitopes may range in complexity from simple linear sequences of amino acids to complex quaternary structures. In addition to this structural complexity the frequency with which an autoantigen and its epitopes are recognized in a patient population may be useful in diagnosis, defining disease subgroups, and may offer information on disease prognosis. In this review recent advances in the epitope mapping of autoantigens in connective tissue diseases are discussed, with particular emphasis placed on the methodologies used to identify epitopes and the classification of the structural features of epitopes. To illustrate the identification of epitope structure, clinically relevant autoantigens, including CENP-A, PM/Scl-100, fibrillarin, filaggrin, Ro-52, and dsDNA, are discussed as examples of each type of epitope.
自身抗体特异性在风湿性疾病中的特征分析在诊断和基础研究领域均具有重要意义。识别自身抗体所识别的表位及其临床和生物学意义并非易事。表位的复杂性范围可从简单的氨基酸线性序列到复杂的四级结构。除了这种结构复杂性外，自身抗原及其表位在患者群体中的被识别频率在诊断、定义疾病亚组方面可能有用，并且可能提供有关疾病预后的信息。在本综述中，将讨论结缔组织疾病中自身抗原表位作图的最新进展，特别强调用于识别表位的方法以及表位结构特征的分类。为了说明表位结构的识别，将讨论包括CENP-A、PM/Scl-100、原纤维蛋白、丝聚合蛋白、Ro-52和双链DNA在内的临床相关自身抗原，作为每种表位类型的示例。
