Heat shock proteins and autoimmunity: a critical appraisal.

Various lines of evidence suggest a close relationship between heat shock proteins (hsp) and numerous autoimmune diseases. However, the common interpretation of hsp as antigens which provide a direct link between infection and autoimmunity appears insufficient. Rather, anti-hsp immune responses seem to represent physiological constituents of immune homeostasis. hsp are found in different sources, including infectious agents, nutriment and self, and the development of autoimmune disease seems to be related to an imbalanced presentation of hsp peptides to the immune system from these different sources.