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Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

An antigen is any substance the immune system identifies as foreign and potentially harmful to the body, prompting an immune response. Antigens have two functional properties: immunogenicity and reactivity. Immunogenicity is the ability of an antigen to stimulate a specific immune response. At the same time, reactivity describes the antigen's ability to react with the cells and antibodies produced in response to it.
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and...

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A High Throughput MHC II Binding Assay for Quantitative Analysis of Peptide Epitopes

A High Throughput MHC II Binding Assay for Quantitative Analysis of Peptide Epitopes

Published on: March 25, 2014

Autoimmunity, epitope analysis, and molecular mimicry.

Manuel Rojas¹, Yeny Acosta-Ampudia², Diana M Monsalve²

¹Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Center for Autoimmune Diseases Research (CREA), School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Colombia.

Current Opinion in Immunology

|October 28, 2025

Summary

Infections can trigger autoimmune diseases (ADs) through molecular mimicry and other mechanisms. Advanced computational methods help study these triggers for better vaccine development and understanding environmental factors in ADs.

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Last Updated: Jan 13, 2026

A High Throughput MHC II Binding Assay for Quantitative Analysis of Peptide Epitopes

A High Throughput MHC II Binding Assay for Quantitative Analysis of Peptide Epitopes

Published on: March 25, 2014

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Computational Biology
Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Diseases

Background:

Infectious agents are implicated as triggers for autoimmune diseases (ADs) in susceptible individuals.
Molecular mimicry is a proposed mechanism where infections initiate autoimmunity by breaking peripheral tolerance.
Other factors like central tolerance deficiencies, bystander activation, epitope spreading, and sustained antigenic stimulation also contribute to AD etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the role of molecular mimicry and other mechanisms in the initiation of autoimmune diseases.
To highlight the importance of advanced computational methods in studying molecular mimicry in AD pathogenesis.
To emphasize the need for further research in peptide conformational analysis for vaccine design and understanding environmental influences.

Main Methods:

Utilizing epidemiological and experimental evidence.
Employing advanced computational techniques such as molecular docking simulations.
Performing affinity estimation for human leukocyte antigens (HLAs).
Conducting three-dimensional structural analysis of peptides.

Main Results:

Molecular mimicry is a significant, but not the only, mechanism linking infections to ADs.
Advanced computational and structural analyses are crucial for elucidating molecular mimicry's role.
Peptide conformational analysis is vital for future research directions.

Conclusions:

Infections can initiate autoimmunity through multiple pathways beyond molecular mimicry.
Computational and structural biology approaches are essential tools for investigating autoimmune disease pathogenesis.
Further investigation into peptide structure and interactions is key for developing targeted therapies and vaccines for ADs.