| First Author | Christen U | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | J Clin Invest | Volume | 114 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 1290-8 |
| PubMed ID | 15520861 | Mgi Jnum | J:94533 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3513235 | Doi | 10.1172/JCI22557 |
| Citation | Christen U, et al. (2004) A viral epitope that mimics a self antigen can accelerate but not initiate autoimmune diabetes. J Clin Invest 114(9):1290-8 |
| abstractText | We document here that infection of prediabetic mice with a virus expressing an H-2Kb-restricted mimic ligand to a self epitope present on beta cells accelerates the development of autoimmune diabetes. Immunization with the mimic ligand expanded autoreactive T cell populations, which was followed by their trafficking to the islets, as visualized in situ by tetramer staining. In contrast, the mimic ligand did not generate sufficient autoreactive T cells in naive mice to initiate disease. Diabetes acceleration did not occur in H-2Kb-deficient mice or in mice tolerized to the mimic ligand. Thus, arenavirus-expressed mimics of self antigens accelerate a previously established autoimmune process. Sequential heterologous viral infections might therefore act in concert to precipitate clinical autoimmune disease, even if single exposure to a viral mimic does not always cause sufficient tissue destruction. |
