Molecular mimicry revisited

The host immune response is an important line of defence against parasites. Tactics to evade this response are therefore expected in host-parasite relationships, and the clearest example is the antigenic variation displayed by African trypanosomes. But while few other parasites seem to have quite this ability, many seem to display a form of antigenic convergence with the host - allowing them a degree of molecular camouflage against the host's immune system. Ideas about such antigenic convergence were developed some 30 years ago, with, for example, John Sprent's theory of 'adaptation tolerance', John Dineen's 'selection for fitness antigens' and Raymond Damian's concept of 'antigen sharing' between host and parasite which was subsequently formulated in a now classical exposition on 'molecular mimicry'. Damian's theory, that one of the mechanisms by which parasites could avoid the host immune response was by mimicking host molecules, has greatly influenced both the theoretical and practical approaches to immunoparasitology. Earlier this year, at a UCLA Symposium, Professor Damian discussed how the theory had progressed since its original exposition. This article is based on that presentation.