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Genetics of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis Research & Therapy volume 1, Article number: S01 (1999)
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Genetic associations between rheumatoid arthritis and specific HLA class II genes provide clues to understanding the molecular basis for disease susceptibility. There is a remarkable structural relationship among different rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility genes, in which each of the associated class II alleles encodes a sequence of key amino acids termed the `shared epitope.' Mechanistic models to account for the shared epitope association with RA can be interpreted in the context of an HLA-directed pathway for the development of disease. We suggest that altered T cell activation results from recognition of the shared epitope, providing a potential mechanism by which the shared epitope may be involved in the generation or modulation of self-recognition during antigen presentation and processing. We propose that the shared epitope association with RA is not solely based on a specific peptide binding motif and peptide determinant selection but rather is influenced by a strongly biased direct recognition of shared epitope residues by direct T cell contact.
References
- 1.
Nepom GT: Major histocompatibility complex-directed susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. Adv Immunol. 1998, 68: 315-332.
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Nepom, G.T. Genetics of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther 1, S01 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1186/ar15
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Keywords
- Peptide
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Susceptibility Gene
- Binding Motif
- Cell Contact
