title: Rheumatic fever: the T cell response leading to autoimmune aggression in the heart.
abstract: Molecular mimicry between streptococcal and heart components has been proposed as the triggering factor leading to autoimmunity in rheumatic heart disease (RHD). CD4+ T cells apparently are the ultimate effectors of chronic heart lesions. In this review we summarize the studies on the T cell response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and T cell clones infiltrating heart lesions from RHD patients against streptococcal M protein peptides and human heart tissue proteins. The T cell receptor usage and the cytokine profile of intralesional mononuclear cells are also presented.
authors.affiliation: Heart Institute--InCor, University of São Paulo, School of Medicine, Sao Paulo, Brazil. luizagui@usp.br
authors.forename: Luiza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guilherme
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kalil
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D015551:Autoimmunity; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D016207:Cytokines; D000939:Epitopes; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; C014689:streptococcal M protein