Al-Sabbagh A, Garcia C A, Diaz-Bardales B M, Zaccarias C, Sakurada J K, Santos L M
AutoImmune Inc., Lexington, Massachusetts, USA.
Exp Parasitol. 1998 Jul;89(3):304-11. doi: 10.1006/expr.1998.4279.
Some autoimmune diseases are thought to arise after an infection. Infectious agents can initiate a chronic inflammatory response associated with autoimmune reactions. Chagas disease, caused by the intracellular parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an excellent model for autoimmune disease induced by an infection. The chronic disease is characterized by rich inflammatory infiltrate in myocardial and nervous tissues, with virtually no demonstrable parasites. We were able to demonstrate the presence of antibody to myelin basic protein (MBP) in the serum from T. cruzi chronically infected mice. Lymphocytes from mice immunized with T. cruzi-derived soluble extract antigen (TCSE) proliferate in response to MBP in vitro. Lymphocytes from animals immunized with MBP also were activated by TCSE in vitro. By studying the overlapping peptides from the MBP molecule, we were able to identify two regions responsible for the cross-reactivity.
一些自身免疫性疾病被认为是在感染后出现的。感染因子可引发与自身免疫反应相关的慢性炎症反应。由细胞内寄生虫克氏锥虫引起的恰加斯病，是感染诱发自身免疫性疾病的一个极佳模型。这种慢性病的特征是心肌和神经组织中有丰富的炎性浸润，几乎没有可证实的寄生虫。我们能够在克氏锥虫慢性感染小鼠的血清中证明存在抗髓磷脂碱性蛋白（MBP）抗体。用克氏锥虫衍生的可溶性提取物抗原（TCSE）免疫的小鼠的淋巴细胞在体外对MBP有增殖反应。用MBP免疫的动物的淋巴细胞在体外也被TCSE激活。通过研究MBP分子的重叠肽段，我们能够确定两个负责交叉反应性的区域。
