Modulation of disease by superantigens.
Increasing evidence suggests that bacterial and viral superantigens are involved in immune-mediated disease. Studies using an animal model for multiple sclerosis show that superantigens can induce relapses and bring into play autoreactive T cells with restricted usage of T cell receptor V beta families that may be indirectly involved in the initial episode of disease. This may also involve epitope spreading. Superantigens have also been implicated in other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. Superantigens encoded by viruses such as mouse mammary tumor virus play an important role in disease progression.
Department of Microbiology and Cell-Science, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611, USA. btorres@micro.ifas.ufl.edu
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D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000276:immunology; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000276:immunology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens