New insights into the functional role of the rheumatoid arthritis shared epitope

作者：de Almeida Denise E; Ling Song; Holoshitz Joseph^*

来源：FEBS LETTERS, 2011, 585(23): 3619-3626.

DOI：10.1016/j.febslet.2011.03.035

• Calreticulin
• Nitric oxide
• Oxidative stress
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Shared epitope
• Th17

The shared epitope (SE) - an HLA-DRB1-encoded 5-amino acid sequence motif carried by the vast majority of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients - is a risk factor for severe disease. The mechanistic basis of RA-SE association is unknown. This group has previously demonstrated that the SE acts as a signal transduction ligand that activates nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species production. SE-activated signaling depends on cell surface calreticulin, a known innate immunity receptor previously implicated in immune regulation, autoimmunity and angiogenesis. Recent evidence that the SE enhances the polarization of Th17 cells, which is a key mechanism in autoimmunity, is discussed highlighting one of several potential functional effects of the SE in RA.

• 出版日期2011-12-1