Cardiac myosin-induced myocarditis as a model of postinfectious autoimmunity.
Immunization with purified cardiac myosin induces autoimmune myocarditis in A strain mice. Because this disease parallels Coxsackievirus B3 (CB3)-induced myocarditis in many respects, we are now using the immunization model as a virus-free system to study certain forms of immunologically-mediated heart disease. In the present article we will describe several characteristics of the humoral and cellular autoimmune response acting in myosin-induced myocarditis. Furthermore, we discuss hypotheses which might explain how myosin-reactive T cells recognize and attack the heart tissue.
Neu
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Institute for General and Experimental Pathology, Medical School, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
Klieber
R
R
Frühwirth
M
M
Berger
P
P
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009218:Myosins / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D009218:Myosins