Understanding crypticity is the key to revealing the pathogenesis of autoimmunity
- 作者：Moudgil ; Kamal D. ; Sercarz ; Eli E.
- 刊名：Trends in Immunology
- 出版年：2005
- 期刊代码：257_14714906
- 类别：med
- 出版时间：July, 2005
- 卷：26
- 期：7
- 页码：355-359
- 文件大小：101 K
摘要
In this opinion, we propose that the hierarchy of antigenic determinants within self-antigens is the major influence in molding the potentially autoreactive T-cell repertoire. The well processed and presented determinants constitute a ‘dominant self’, whereas the poorly processed and/or presented determinants will be invisible to T cells and comprise a ‘cryptic self’, which we consider a fundamental cornerstone of a theory of autoimmunity. It accounts for the large repertoire of self-reactive clones because a similar hierarchy is established in the thymus and controls positive and negative selection. Furthermore, this residual T-cell repertoire, largely directed against cryptic determinants, will contain some T cells with sufficient affinity for MHC and antigen that enables them to respond under inflammatory conditions, thus facilitating presentation of previously cryptic determinants.