Bianca M. Conti-Fine, M.D.
Distinguished McKnight University Professor
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Publications |
Research Interests
The research efforts of Dr. Conti-Fine's group are focused
towards understanding the molecular interactions occurring
in human autoimmune diseases between autoantigens and immune
antigen receptors]. The long-term aim is to take advantage
of the powerful combination of biochemical, biophysical and
molecular biological approaches to elucidate at the molecular
level how an autoimmune response develops in humans, and
how it is initiated. Towards these goals, they are investigating
the surface structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
(ACHR) and the molecular interactions occurring in the T
cell compartment of the human immune system during the autoimmune
response to the muscle ACHR that causes the disease Myasthenia
Gravis (MG). They chose MG as a model of the increasingly
large group of autoimmune diseases, because the identity,
primary structure and several important structural and functional
features of the autoantigen involved, the muscle ACHR, are
known. This offers a unique opportunity to study at the molecular
level how the human immune system recognizes a complex autoantigen,
and which parts of the autoantigen are involved in activation
of the different components of the immune system which cooperate
in the development of this autoimmune response.
As a control model system, they are studying the T helper
response of healthy humans to tetanus toxoid (TTX) and diphtheria
toxoid. Comparing and contrasting the molecular interactions
occurring in autoimmunity with those happening during a normal
T helper response to exogenous antigens will identify potential
differences between autoimmune and normal responses. Their
group has already identified a large part of the epitope
repertoire on the human ACHR and on TTX recognized by the
T helper cells of MG patients and of healthy controls, respectively.
They are now investigating the structure of the autoimmune
and of the normal T helper epitopes, and their mechanisms
of interaction with the human DR molecules which presents
the epitopes to the T helper cells. Furthermore, they are
investigating the genes involved in the making of the TcR's
expressed by the autoimmune anti-AChR T helper cells, and
by normal anti-TTX T helper cells. |
