CD91-Dependent Modulation of Immune Responses by Heat Shock Proteins: A Role in Autoimmunity

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been known for decades for their ability to protect cells under stressful conditions. In the 1980s a new role was ascribed for several HSPs given their ability to elicit specific immune responses in the setting of cancer and infectious disease. These immune responses...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Robert J. Binder, Yu Jerry Zhou, Michelle N. Messmer, Sudesh Pawaria
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2012-01-01
Series:Autoimmune Diseases
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/863041
Description
Summary:Heat shock proteins (HSPs) have been known for decades for their ability to protect cells under stressful conditions. In the 1980s a new role was ascribed for several HSPs given their ability to elicit specific immune responses in the setting of cancer and infectious disease. These immune responses have primarily been harnessed for the immunotherapy of cancer in the clinical setting. However, because of the ability of HSPs to prime diverse immune responses, they have also been used for modulation of immune responses during autoimmunity. The apparent dichotomy of immune responses elicited by HSPs is discussed here on a molecular and cellular level. The potential clinical application of HSP-mediated immune responses for therapy of autoimmune diseases is reviewed.
ISSN:2090-0422
2090-0430