Trela Malgorzata, Nelson Paul N, Rylance Paul B
Immunology Research Group, Research Institute in Healthcare Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK.
Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton, UK.
APMIS. 2016 Jan-Feb;124(1-2):88-104. doi: 10.1111/apm.12487.
Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) have been implicated in autoimmune and other diseases. Molecular mimicry has been postulated as a potential mechanism of autoimmunity. Exogenous viruses have also been reported to be associated with the same diseases, as have genetic and environmental factors. If molecular mimicry were to be shown to be an initiating mechanism of some autoimmune diseases, then therapeutic options of blocking antibodies and peptides might be of benefit in halting diseases at the outset. Bioinformatic and molecular modelling techniques have been employed to investigate molecular mimicry and the evidence for the association of HERVs and autoimmunity is reviewed. The most convincing evidence for molecular mimicry is in rheumatoid arthritis, where HERV K-10 shares amino acid sequences with IgG1Fc, a target for rheumatoid factor. Systemic lupus erythematosus is an example of a condition associated with several autoantibodies, and several endogenous and exogenous viruses have been reported to be associated with the disease. The lack of a clear link between one virus and this condition, and the spectrum of clinical manifestations, suggests that genetic, environmental and the inflammatory response to a virus or viruses might also be major factors in the pathogenesis of lupus and other autoimmune conditions. Where there are strong associations between a virus and an autoimmune condition, such as in hepatitis C and cryoglobulinaemia, the use of bioinformatics and molecular modelling can also be utilized to help to understand the role of molecular mimicry in how HERVs might trigger disease.
人类内源性逆转录病毒（HERVs）与自身免疫性疾病及其他疾病有关。分子模拟被认为是自身免疫的一种潜在机制。据报道，外源性病毒也与这些疾病有关，遗传和环境因素亦是如此。如果分子模拟被证明是某些自身免疫性疾病的起始机制，那么阻断抗体和肽的治疗选择可能有助于在疾病初期阻止病情发展。生物信息学和分子建模技术已被用于研究分子模拟，并对HERVs与自身免疫性之间关联的证据进行了综述。分子模拟最有说服力的证据存在于类风湿性关节炎中，其中HERV K - 10与类风湿因子的靶标IgG1Fc具有相同的氨基酸序列。系统性红斑狼疮是一种与多种自身抗体相关的疾病，已有报道称几种内源性和外源性病毒与该疾病有关。一种病毒与这种疾病之间缺乏明确的联系，以及临床表现的多样性，表明遗传、环境以及对一种或多种病毒的炎症反应可能也是狼疮和其他自身免疫性疾病发病机制中的主要因素。在病毒与自身免疫性疾病之间存在强关联的情况下，例如丙型肝炎与冷球蛋白血症，生物信息学和分子建模也可用于帮助理解分子模拟在HERVs引发疾病过程中的作用。
