title: Anti-idiotypes and autoimmune disease.
abstract: Idiotypes represent structural sites located on the Fab fragment of antibodies. Even though these sites are combining sites for antigenic determinant, their uniqueness makes them antigenic, generating anti-Ids that have functionally performed as suppressive agents for the further production of the antibody. Jerne's network theory of idiotypes has provided a basis upon which investigators have searched for means to reduce, or explain the reduction of, Ab production. A principal area of this reduction of Ab expression concerns the autoAbs in autoimmune diseases. Experimental and clinical evidence suggests a role for anti-Ids in suppressing autoAb production and an inverse relationship between serum levels of anti-Ids and autoimmune disease activity.
authors.affiliation: University of Cincinnati Medical College, Ohio.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Bauman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hurtubise
mesh_terms: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D004247:DNA