| First Author | Szymula A | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Clin Immunol | Volume | 152 |
| Issue | 1-2 | Pages | 1-9 |
| PubMed ID | 24576620 | Mgi Jnum | J:209883 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5568871 | Doi | 10.1016/j.clim.2014.02.004 |
| Citation | Szymula A, et al. (2014) T cell epitope mimicry between Sjogren's syndrome Antigen A (SSA)/Ro60 and oral, gut, skin and vaginal bacteria. Clin Immunol 152(1-2):1-9 |
| abstractText | This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that Sjogren's syndrome Antigen A (SSA)/Ro60-reactive T cells are activated by peptides originating from oral and gut bacteria. T cell hybridomas generated from HLA-DR3 transgenic mice recognized 3 regions on Ro60, with core epitopes mapped to amino acids 228-238, 246-256 and 371-381. BLAST analysis identified several mimicry peptides, originating from human oral, intestinal, skin and vaginal bacteria, as well as environmental bacteria. Amongst these, a peptide from the von Willebrand factor type A domain protein (vWFA) from the oral microbe Capnocytophaga ochracea was the most potent activator. Further, Ro60-reactive T cells were activated by recombinant vWFA protein and whole Escherichia coli expressing this protein. These results demonstrate that peptides derived from normal human microbiota can activate Ro60-reactive T cells. Thus, immune responses to commensal microbiota and opportunistic pathogens should be explored as potential triggers for initiating autoimmunity in SLE and Sjogren's syndrome. |
