Chlamydia infections and heart disease linked through antigenic mimicry

K Bachmaier; N Neu; L M de la Maza; S Pal; A Hessel; J M Penninger

doi:10.1126/science.283.5406.1335

Chlamydia infections and heart disease linked through antigenic mimicry

Science. 1999 Feb 26;283(5406):1335-9. doi: 10.1126/science.283.5406.1335.

Authors

K Bachmaier¹, N Neu, L M de la Maza, S Pal, A Hessel, J M Penninger

Affiliation

¹ Amgen Institute, Ontario Cancer Institute, Departments of Medical Biophysics and Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C1, Canada.

PMID: 10037605
DOI: 10.1126/science.283.5406.1335

Abstract

Chlamydia infections are epidemiologically linked to human heart disease. A peptide from the murine heart muscle-specific alpha myosin heavy chain that has sequence homology to the 60-kilodalton cysteine-rich outer membrane proteins of Chlamydia pneumoniae, C. psittaci, and C. trachomatis was shown to induce autoimmune inflammatory heart disease in mice. Injection of the homologous Chlamydia peptides into mice also induced perivascular inflammation, fibrotic changes, and blood vessel occlusion in the heart, as well as triggering T and B cell reactivity to the homologous endogenous heart muscle-specific peptide. Chlamydia DNA functioned as an adjuvant in the triggering of peptide-induced inflammatory heart disease. Infection with C. trachomatis led to the production of autoantibodies to heart muscle-specific epitopes. Thus, Chlamydia-mediated heart disease is induced by antigenic mimicry of a heart muscle-specific protein.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adoptive Transfer
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Antigens, Bacterial / chemistry
Antigens, Bacterial / immunology
Autoantibodies / biosynthesis
Autoimmune Diseases / immunology
Autoimmune Diseases / microbiology*
Autoimmune Diseases / pathology
B-Lymphocytes / immunology
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / chemistry
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / immunology*
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
Chlamydia / immunology*
Chlamydia Infections / complications
Chlamydia Infections / immunology*
Chlamydia trachomatis / immunology
CpG Islands
Humans
Immunization
Lymphocyte Activation
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Molecular Mimicry*
Molecular Sequence Data
Myocarditis / immunology
Myocarditis / microbiology*
Myocarditis / pathology
Myocardium / immunology
Myocardium / pathology
Myosin Heavy Chains / chemistry
Myosin Heavy Chains / immunology*
Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / immunology
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Substances

Antigens, Bacterial
Autoantibodies
Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins
Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
Myosin Heavy Chains