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VISITING MOLECULAR MIMICRY ONCE MORE: PATHOGENICITY, VIRULENCE, AND AUTOIMMUNITY
Autoimunidade
Bioinformática
Relação hospedeiro/parasita
Tolerância imunológica
Parasita
Autoimmunity
Bioinformatics
Host/parasite relationship
Immune tolerance
Parasite
Affilliation
Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Department of Anesthesiology. St. Louis, MO, USA.
Universidade Estácio de Sá, Instituto de Educação Médica, Campus Vista Carioca. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Laboratório de Animais Transgênicos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária e Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Universidade Estácio de Sá, Instituto de Educação Médica, Campus Vista Carioca. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil / Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Laboratório de Animais Transgênicos. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária e Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
Abstract
The concept of molecular mimicry describes situations in which antigen sharing between parasites and hosts could benefit pathogen evasion from host immune responses. However, antigen sharing can generate host responses to parasite-derived self-like peptides, triggering autoimmunity. Since its conception, molecular mimicry and the consequent potential cross-reactivity following infections have been repeatedly described in humans, raising increasing interest among immunologists. Here, we reviewed this concept focusing on the challenge of maintaining host immune tolerance to self-components in parasitic diseases. We focused on the studies that used genomics and bioinformatics to estimate the extent of antigen sharing between proteomes of different organisms. In addition, we comparatively analyzed human and murine proteomes for peptide sharing with proteomes of pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms. We conclude that, although the amount of antigenic sharing between hosts and both pathogenic and non-pathogenic parasites and bacteria is massive, the degree of this antigen sharing is not related to pathogenicity or virulence. In addition, because the development of autoimmunity in response to infections by microorganisms endowed with cross-reacting antigens is rare, we conclude that molecular mimicry by itself is not a sufficient factor to disrupt intact self-tolerance mechanisms.
Keywords in Portuguese
Compartilhamento de antígenoAutoimunidade
Bioinformática
Relação hospedeiro/parasita
Tolerância imunológica
Parasita
Keywords
Antigen sharingAutoimmunity
Bioinformatics
Host/parasite relationship
Immune tolerance
Parasite
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