Most nuclear systemic autoantigens are extremely disordered proteins: implications for the etiology of systemic autoimmunity.

ABSTRACT: Patients with systemic autoimmune diseases usually produce high levels of antibodies to self-antigens (autoantigens). The repertoire of common autoantigens is remarkably limited, yet no readily understandable shared thread links these apparently diverse proteins. Using computer prediction algorithms, we have found that most nuclear systemic autoantigens are predicted to contain long regions of extreme structural disorder. Such disordered regions would generally make poor B cell epitopes and are predicted to be under-represented as potential T cell epitopes. Consideration of the potential role of protein disorder may give novel insights into the possible role of molecular mimicry in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. The recognition of extreme autoantigen protein disorder has led us to an ex

SUBMITTER: Carl PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1297582 | biostudies-literature | 2005

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature