QUOTE: A security system wired within every cell to detect the presence of rogue viral DNA can sometimes go awry, triggering an autoimmune response to single-stranded bits of the cell's own DNA, according to a report in the August 22nd issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication. The source of that single-stranded DNA is so-called endogenous retroelements—genetic elements accounting for a substantial portion of the genome that can move to new locations using a "copy and paste" mechanism, according to the researchers.
The new findings help to explain the cause of a rare autoimmune disorder known as Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome in which infants appear to suffer from an acute viral infection, despite the fact that no virus had ever been found...
Detection of foreign nucleic acids is an ancient form of host defense, the researchers explained. In vertebrates, nucleic acid detection activates a program of antiviral defense designed to neutralize the spread of infection. This antiviral program is coordinated by type I interferons (IFNs), which direct a multifaceted response to restrict viral replication within infected cells, alert neighboring cells to the presence of infection, and expand white blood cells to provide long-term and specific protection against the virus... UNQUOTE.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080821163850.htm |
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