Molecular Mimicry between Virus Proteins and Autoantigens in Autoimmunity

Viruses have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of many diseases of unknown origin, and in particular diseases where autoimmunity has been speculated to play a role (Mims, 1985). Several of the characteristic features of a virus infection have been proposed to enable the virus to precipitate an autoimmune response or to turn a protective immune response into a, potentially harmful, self reactive immune response. Virus may infect cells of the immune system thereby perturbing their function (McChesney and Oldstone, 1987). Thus, examples from spontaneous and experimental diseases have demonstrated that virus infection of T and/or B cells interfere with the function of these cells, in vitro and in vivo, e.g., following infection with measle and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and in mice lactic dehydrogenase virus infects macrophages through their Ia molecules (Inada and Mims, 1984) and may thus interfere with these cells’ antigen presenting function.