Uveitis-associated epitopes of retinal antigens are pathogenic in the humanized mouse model of uveitis and identify autoaggressive T cells.

ABSTRACT: Noninfectious uveitis is a leading cause of blindness and thought to involve autoimmune T cell responses to retinal proteins (e.g., retinal arrestin [soluble-Ag (S-Ag)]). There are no known biomarkers for the disease. Susceptibility is associated with HLA, but little is known about susceptible class II alleles or the potentially pathogenic epitopes that they present. Using a humanized HLA-transgenic mouse model of S-Ag-induced autoimmune uveitis, we identified several susceptible and resistant alleles of HLA-DR and -DQ genes and defined pathogenic epitopes of S-Ag presented by the susceptible alleles. The sequences of these epitopes overlap with some previously identified peptides of S-Ag ("M" and "N"), known to elicit memory responses in lymphocytes of uveitis patients. HLA-DR-restricted,

SUBMITTER: Mattapallil MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3150271 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature