Mol Immunol. 2004 Feb;40(14-15):1057-61
Zhou D, Hemmer B.
Clinical Neuroimmunology Group, Department of Neurology, Philipps-University,
Rudolf-Bultmann Strasse 8, 35033 Marburg, Germany.
T cells play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of most autoimmune disorders.
However, target antigens and pathomechanisms leading to human autoimmune diseases are still largely unknown.
Cross-recognition of T cells between self and foreign antigens has been considered as a driving force in generating autoimmunity.
Here, we discuss the extent of degeneracy in T cell antigen recognition and hypothesize on the role of degenerate recognition in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), a candidate autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS).