Autoimmune cross-reactivity versus cross-targeting: what is the difference?
Think of antibodies as flags the immune system marks an infection with. The antibody flags are only suppose to stick/bind to a sequence of the infection.
Cross reactivity is when an antibody binds not just the antigen(sequence) of the infection but an antigen of self because the protein is either the same or similar enough. Our own body has accidentally become labeled with infection flags.
Even with the mislabeling our body's immune system is usually intelligent enough not to attack self.
This is where cross targeting comes in. Cross targeting is when 2 infections have made the immune system focus on one organ. Antibodies have mislabeled or both infections infect the target. For the immune system to attack self and turn into autoimmune disease it is my theory that a viral infection has to mark it for t-cells and an outer infection for B-cells has to mark it.
For example: Anti-insulin from E.coli could mark the outside of the pancreas through cross reactivity. Then the person develops the flu which replicates in our pancreas....the virus marking the inside of the pancreas cells.
The layering of infections causes cross-targeting of the immune system to attack from 2 levels and results in type one diabetes where our immune system would attack our pancreas.
Does this make sense?
I hope I am getting better at explaining this.
Angela Biggs
Think of antibodies as flags the immune system marks an infection with. The antibody flags are only suppose to stick/bind to a sequence of the infection.
Cross reactivity is when an antibody binds not just the antigen(sequence) of the infection but an antigen of self because the protein is either the same or similar enough. Our own body has accidentally become labeled with infection flags.
Even with the mislabeling our body's immune system is usually intelligent enough not to attack self.
This is where cross targeting comes in. Cross targeting is when 2 infections have made the immune system focus on one organ. Antibodies have mislabeled or both infections infect the target. For the immune system to attack self and turn into autoimmune disease it is my theory that a viral infection has to mark it for t-cells and an outer infection for B-cells has to mark it.
For example: Anti-insulin from E.coli could mark the outside of the pancreas through cross reactivity. Then the person develops the flu which replicates in our pancreas....the virus marking the inside of the pancreas cells.
The layering of infections causes cross-targeting of the immune system to attack from 2 levels and results in type one diabetes where our immune system would attack our pancreas.
Does this make sense?
I hope I am getting better at explaining this.
Angela Biggs
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