Vanderlugt C J, Miller S D
Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Curr Opin Immunol. 1996 Dec;8(6):831-6. doi: 10.1016/s0952-7915(96)80012-4.
Epitope (determinant) spreading is the development of immune responses to endogenous epitopes secondary to the release of self antigens during a chronic autoimmune or inflammatory response. The past year has seen considerable advances in our understanding of the contribution of epitope spreading to the chronic pathogenesis of experimental T-cell-mediated and antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases. Most significantly, conclusive functional evidence for a major role for epitope spreading in the chronic pathogenesis of murine relapsing-remitting experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a CD4+ T-cell-mediated model of multiple sclerosis, was forthcoming.
表位(决定簇)扩展是指在慢性自身免疫或炎症反应过程中,继自身抗原释放后,针对内源性表位的免疫反应的发展。在过去的一年里,我们在理解表位扩展对实验性T细胞介导和抗体介导的自身免疫性疾病慢性发病机制的贡献方面取得了相当大的进展。最显著的是,有确凿的功能证据表明表位扩展在小鼠复发缓解型实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎(一种多发性硬化症的CD4 + T细胞介导模型)的慢性发病机制中起主要作用。