title: HIT-antibodies promote their own antigen.
abstract: Antiplatelet factor 4 (PF4) antibodies have an important role in the most frequent drug-induced immune disorder, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). In this issue of Blood, Sachais and coworkers propose a new feature that may explain why only some anti-PF4 antibodies are pathogenic.(1) In addition to epitope specificity-determining affinity and a high titer, the ability of antibodies to promote formation of their own target antigens seems to be a key factor for pathogenicity.
authors.affiliation: Ernst Moritz Arndt University.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Greinacher
authors.forename: Krystin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Krauel
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jensch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism*; D000915:Antibody Affinity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies