Authors: Penttinen M.A.; Ekman P.; Granfors K.

Source: Current Molecular Medicine, Volume 4, Number 1, February 2004 , pp. 41-49(9)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Spondyloarthropathies (SpA) are a group of chronic rheumatic diseases, which show a strong asoociation with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27. Although the association between HLAB27 and the susceptibility to SpA was discovered thirty years ago, the exact mechanism by which HLA-B27 predisposes to disease development remains unclear. The classical role of MHC class I molecules is to present peptides for CD8+ T cells. Therefore, it has been proposed that the antigen presenting function of HLA-B27 is somehow altered in the patients developing SpA. However, despite extensive research, the attempts to create a comprehensive theory that would explain the role of HLA-B27 as an antigen presenting molecule in the development of SpA have been unsuccessful. Reactive arthritis (ReA) belongs to the group of SpA. It is a joint inflammation developing after certain bacterial infections e.g. Salmonella, Yersinia, and Chlamydia. Several unrelated observations indicate that HLA-B27 modulates the interaction between ReA-triggering bacteria and host cell. These findings suggest that HLA-B27 may possess functions, which are unrelated to antigen presentation. In this paper, we summarize these findings and discuss their potential impact in the development of SpA.

Keywords: spondyloarthropathies; hla-b27; salmonella; intracellular; lipopolysaccharide; monocyte; endoplasmic reticulum; misfolding

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1566524043479275

Affiliations: 1: National Public Health Institute, Department of Human Microbial Ecology and Inflammation, Kiinamyllynkatu 13, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland.

Publication date: 2004-02-01

More about this publication?

• Current Molecular Medicine is an interdisciplinary journal focused on providing the readership with current and comprehensive reviews on fundamental molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, the development of molecular-diagnosis and/or novel approaches to rational treatment. The reviews should be of significant interest to basic researchers and clinical investigators in molecular medicine. Periodically the journal will invite guest editors to devote an issue on a basic research area that shows promise to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanism(s) of a disease or has potential for clinical applications.

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