Mechanisms of the pathogenic autoimmune response in lupus: prospects for specific immunotherapy.
A major step towards understanding the basic mechanism of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the prototypic autoimmune disease that develops spontaneously, has been the identification of nucleosomes as a primary immunogen in this disease. The production of pathogenic autoantibodies in SLE results from an MHC class-II-restricted, cognate interaction between select populations of T helper cells and B cells that are specific for nucleosomal components. These observations pave the way for specific immunotherapy that blocks this pathogenic T and B cell interaction.
Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Ill. 60611-3008, USA.
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Datta
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Mohan
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Desai-Mehta
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy
D001323:Autoantibodies