Department of Internal Diseases, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Silesia, Bytom, Poland.
Med Sci Monit. 2012 Jun;18(6):RA80-8. doi: 10.12659/msm.882892.
This paper presents a new, recently formulated theory, which concerns the etiopathological process of autoimmune diseases. This theory takes into account the existence in the human genome, since approximately 40 million years, of so-called human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which are transmitted to descendants "vertically" by the germ cells. It was recently established that these generally silent sequences perform some physiological roles, but occasionally become active and influence the development of some chronic diseases like diabetes, some neoplasms, chronic diseases of the nervous system (eg, sclerosis multiplex), schizophrenia and autoimmune diseases. We present a short synopsis of immunological processes involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, such as molecular mimicry, epitope spreading and activation of the superantigen. We then focus on experimental findings related to systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome and some diseases of hepar and otorhinal tissues. We conclude the outline of this new model of the development of chronic diseases and indicate the conclusions important for the teaching of the basis of pathology.
本文提出了一种新的、最近形成的理论，该理论涉及自身免疫性疾病的病因发病过程。该理论考虑了自大约 4000 万年前以来在人类基因组中存在的所谓人类内源性逆转录病毒 (HERV)，这些病毒通过生殖细胞“垂直”传递给后代。最近发现，这些通常沉默的序列具有一些生理作用，但偶尔会变得活跃，并影响某些慢性疾病的发展，如糖尿病、某些肿瘤、神经系统慢性疾病（如多发性硬化症）、精神分裂症和自身免疫性疾病。我们简要介绍了参与自身免疫性疾病发病机制的免疫过程，如分子模拟、表位扩展和超抗原的激活。然后，我们重点介绍了与系统性红斑狼疮、类风湿关节炎、干燥综合征和一些肝素和耳喉组织疾病相关的实验发现。我们总结了这种慢性疾病发展的新模式，并指出了对病理学基础教学重要的结论。
