Susceptibility and resistance to experimental adjuvant arthritis

Frontiers in Bioscience : a Journal and Virtual Library
Alon Y HershkoYaakov Naparstek

Abstract

Autoimmunity is the result of an abnormal immune response against constituents of body tissues. For many years, the study of animal models of human diseases was aimed at defining the factors participating in the autoimmune process. During the past two decades, much of the attention was diverted to another intriguing aspect of animal models: the mechanisms rendering some animal strains autoimmune-susceptible and others resistant. In this report, we focus on one experimental model, adjuvant arthritis (AA) which is inducible in the Lewis rat following stimulation of the immune system by heat-killed mycobacterium and its 65kDa heat shock protein. We describe genetic loci regulating the severity of this disease as well as the contribution of microbial flora and endocrine activity to susceptibility and resistance. In our opinion, a better understanding of the processes underlying susceptibility and resistance to AA is an important step towards the development of new therapeutic approaches to autoimmunity.

Citations

Aug 5, 2008·Trends in Immunology·Kamal D Moudgil, Malarvizhi Durai

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

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.