[Study on the clonal characteristics of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura-review]

The autoantigenic epitopes carried by the platelet glycoprotein in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) have been observed to localize on the specific regions of glycoprotein. There is a limited number of autoantigenic epitopes on the respective glycoproteins. The clonal B-cell and/or T cell expansion have been detected in some patients with ITP, and the autoantibodies is clonally derived. This research is of clinical importance since identification of clonally derived autoantibodies not only may help to discover the pathogenesis of ITP but also lead to less toxic and more specific therapies. In this review, the clonal limitation of autoantibody and clonal expansion of B-lymphocyte is ITP, clonal characteristics of T-lymphocyte in ITP, and significance of research on clones in ITP were discussed and summarized.