Biomaterial Database

Autoimmunity and the immunologic network. 1978

N Talal

Recent developments in autoimmunity suggest that there are three stages in the response to self, which can be called autorecognition, autoimmunity, and autoimmune disease. The first is physiologic and fundamental to a network theory of immunologic control that is based upon recognition of idiotypes and antigens related to the major histocompatibility complex. Many foreign antigens may be recognized immunologically only if they can be imposed upon an existing network of immunologic communication. The existence of anti-receptor autoimmune diseases (such as myasthenia gravis and Grave's disease) leads to the postulate that the immune network may normally function to help regulate hormone and other nonimmune cell surface receptors. Chronic autoimmune diseases may be caused either by genetically determined abnormalities in the immune network or by an antigenic perturbation of the network that results in unresponsiveness and tolerance of an offending agent.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007109	Immunity	Nonsusceptibility to the invasive or pathogenic effects of foreign microorganisms or to the toxic effect of antigenic substances.	Immune Process,Immune Response,Immune Processes,Immune Responses,Process, Immune,Response, Immune
D007130	Immunoglobulin Idiotypes	Unique genetically-controlled determinants present on ANTIBODIES whose specificity is limited to a single group of proteins (e.g., another antibody molecule or an individual myeloma protein). The idiotype appears to represent the antigenicity of the antigen-binding site of the antibody and to be genetically codetermined with it. The idiotypic determinants have been precisely located to the IMMUNOGLOBULIN VARIABLE REGION of both immunoglobin polypeptide chains.	Idiotypes, Immunoglobulin,Ig Idiotypes,Idiotype, Ig,Idiotype, Immunoglobulin,Idiotypes, Ig,Ig Idiotype,Immunoglobulin Idiotype
D007156	Immunologic Memory	The altered state of immunologic responsiveness resulting from initial contact with antigen, which enables the individual to produce antibodies more rapidly and in greater quantity in response to secondary antigenic stimulus.	Immune Memory,Immunological Memory,Memory, Immunologic,Immune Memories,Immunologic Memories,Immunological Memories,Memory, Immune,Memory, Immunological
D008214	Lymphocytes	White blood cells formed in the body's lymphoid tissue. The nucleus is round or ovoid with coarse, irregularly clumped chromatin while the cytoplasm is typically pale blue with azurophilic (if any) granules. Most lymphocytes can be classified as either T or B (with subpopulations of each), or NATURAL KILLER CELLS.	Lymphoid Cells,Cell, Lymphoid,Cells, Lymphoid,Lymphocyte,Lymphoid Cell
D011956	Receptors, Cell Surface	Cell surface proteins that bind signalling molecules external to the cell with high affinity and convert this extracellular event into one or more intracellular signals that alter the behavior of the target cell (From Alberts, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 2nd ed, pp693-5). Cell surface receptors, unlike enzymes, do not chemically alter their ligands.	Cell Surface Receptor,Cell Surface Receptors,Hormone Receptors, Cell Surface,Receptors, Endogenous Substances,Cell Surface Hormone Receptors,Endogenous Substances Receptors,Receptor, Cell Surface,Surface Receptor, Cell
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D006511	Hepatitis B Antigens	Antigens of the virion of the HEPATITIS B VIRUS or the Dane particle, its surface (HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGENS), core (HEPATITIS B CORE ANTIGENS), and other associated antigens, including the HEPATITIS B E ANTIGENS.	HBAg,Hepatitis B Antigen,Antigen, Hepatitis B,Antigens, Hepatitis B,B Antigen, Hepatitis,B Antigens, Hepatitis
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000906	Antibodies	Immunoglobulin molecules having a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which they interact only with the ANTIGEN (or a very similar shape) that induced their synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially PLASMA CELLS).