Autoimmunity to synovial extracellular matrix proteins in patients with postinfectious Lyme arthritis

CONCLUSION Autoreactive, proinflammatory CD4+ T cells and autoantibodies develop to ECM proteins in a subgroup of postinfectious LA patients who have specific HLA-DR alleles. Rather than the traditional molecular mimicry model, we propose that epitope spreading provides the best explanation for this example of infection-induced autoimmunity.FUNDING Supported by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases R01-AI101175, R01-AI144365, and F32-AI125764; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases K01-AR062098 and T32-AR007258; NIH grants P41-GM104603, R24-GM134210, S10-RR020946, S10-OD010724, S10-OD021651, and S10-OD021728; and the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, the Eshe Fund, and the Lyme Disease and Arthritis Research Fund at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation - September 1, 2023 Category: Biomedical Science Authors: Korawit Kanjana, Klemen Strle, Robert B. Lochhead, Annalisa Pianta, Laura M. Mateyka, Qi Wang, Sheila L. Arvikar, David E. Kling, Cameron A. Deangelo, Lucy Curham, Alan G. Barbour, Catherine E. Costello, James J. Moon, Allen C. Steere Source Type: research