title: Activation of autoreactive T cells by peptides from human pathogens.
abstract: Activation of autoreactive T cells is a necessary-but not sufficient-step in the development of T cell mediated autoimmunity. Autoreactive T cells can be activated by viral and bacterial peptides that meet the structural requirements for MHC molecule binding and T cell receptor recognition. Due to the degenerate nature of MHC class II molecule binding motifs and a certain degree of flexibility in T cell receptor recognition, such microbial peptides have been found to be quite distinct in their primary sequence from the self-peptide they mimic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. wucherpf@mbcrr.harvard.edu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hausmann
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Wucherpfennig
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell