Bacterial epitopes involved in the induction of reactive arthritis.
A panel of documented arthritogenic Shigella flexneri strains as well as an epidemic-associated non-arthritogenic Shigella sonnei control was used to identify a 2-megadalton plasmid specific to the arthritogenic strains. The plasmid, pHS-2, contains a DNA sequence that encodes a 22-amino acid polypeptide encompassing a pentapeptide homologous to part of the polymorphic region of the alpha-1 domain of HLA-B27. These results suggest that molecular mimicry between arthritogenic bacterial-encoded epitopes and the HLA-B27 molecule may play a role in the development of reactive arthritis.
Stieglitz
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University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235.
Fosmire
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Lipsky
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PE
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001168:Arthritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids; D012760:Shigella / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000939:Epitopes; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen