Molecular, metabolic and immune evidence suggest that systemic autoimmune disease is antigen-mediated
Abstract
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus generate a sustained immune response against self. The tools of modern molecular biology have been applied to cell activities and elements/signals of the immune system, but a structural or regulatory defect has not been found. When deoxyribonucleic acids for autoantibodies were cloned and sequenced, they were like other autoantibody DNA sequences; when genetic materials for autoantibodies were inserted into transgenic mice, cells secreting the antibodies were subject to normal control mechanisms and eliminated. A failure to clear self-reactive antibody producing thymocytes has not been demonstrated in human systemic lupus erythematosus. Molecular analyses of the efferent side of the immune response have been largely normal in systemic lupus erythematosus. The structure of autoantibodies suggests that they have been generated by selection pressures and the presence of endogenous antigens. If the immune system attack on self was secondary, structural changes and metabolic reactions capable of generating antigens should be found in systemic lupus erythematosus cells. Structural changes have been found in deoxyribonucleic acid from phytohaemagglutinin-stimulated systemic lupus erythematosu...Continue Reading
References
Adult respiratory distress syndrome: an unrecognized premortem event in systemic lupus erythematosus
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Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases occur as a result of an attack by the immune system on the body’s own tissues resulting in damage and dysfunction. There are different types of autoimmune diseases, in which there is a complex and unknown interaction between genetics and the environment. Discover the latest research on autoimmune diseases here.