Fabiana Rizzo1*
Gunnar Houen2- 1Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
- 2Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Research Park, Glostrup, Denmark
Editorial on the Research Topic
Immune evasion mechanisms and their role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders
Autoimmune diseases result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors that disrupt normal immune responses to infections while also preventing autoimmune reactions (1, 2). Genes governing antigen detection, processing, and lymphocyte interactions play a crucial role among genetic factors (2). Among environmental factors, infections and influences on immune system function are particularly significant (2). The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) stands out, associated with various autoimmune diseases alongside its role in certain cancers (2–5). This association is supported by epidemiological data and an understanding of EBV’s immune evasion mechanisms (3, 5).
Within this Research Topic, Sharifinejad et al. analyze patients with monogenic combined immunodeficiencies, revealing autoimmune manifestations in about 18% of cases, often linked to mutations in immune system genes, highlighting the intricate link between immune deficiencies and autoimmunity.
Schönrich et al. discuss the central role of EBV in multiple sclerosis, focusing on the virally encoded IL-10 homologue and its impact on host IL-10 production, illustrating a significant immune evasion mechanism and its implications for central nervous system pathology.
The connection between immune system genes, infections, and autoimmunity is further explored by Xiao et al. in a meta-analysis of IFIH1 polymorphisms, showing positive correlations with type 1 diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis.
Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome, a systemic autoimmune disease, is associated with B cell hyperactivity, lymphocyte infiltration, and destruction of exocrine glands, with potential links to EBV infection (3, 6). Hinrichs et al. demonstrate that SS patients exhibit distinct mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell behavior, expressing higher levels of certain markers that facilitate exocrine gland infiltration and pathology.
Dermatomyositis (DM), characterized by muscle weakness and rashes, may also be connected to immunodeficiency and infections (7). Hilliard et al. show alterations in the natural killer (NK) cell population in juvenile DM, which could indicate impaired NK cell function.
Collectively, these articles underscore the intricate relationship between immunodeficiency, viral immune evasion mechanisms, and autoimmune conditions, offering valuable insights for the treatment and prevention of such diseases.
Author contributions
FR: Conceptualization, Resources, Visualization, Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation. GH: Visualization, conceptualization, Writing – review & editing.
Acknowledgments
Many Thanks to the GH, Department of Neurology, Rigshospitalet, Research Park, Nordstjernevej 42, 2600 Glostrup, Denmark for his precious intellectual collaboration.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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References
1. Kechida M. Update on autoimmune diseases pathogenesis. Curr Pharm Des (2019) 25(27):2947–52. doi: 10.2174/1381612825666190709205421
2. Ellis JA, Kemp AS, Ponsonby AL. Gene-environment interaction in autoimmune disease. Expert Rev Mol Med (2014) 16:e4. doi: 10.1017/erm.2014.5
3. Houen G, Trier NH. Epstein-barr virus and systemic autoimmune diseases. Front Immunol (2021) 11:587380. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.587380
4. Houen G, Trier NH, Frederiksen JL. Epstein-barr virus and multiple sclerosis. Front Immunol (2020) 11:587078. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.587078
5. Niller HH, Wolf H, Ay E, Minarovits J. Epigenetic dysregulation of Epstein-Barr virus latency and development of autoimmune disease. Adv Exp Med Biol (2011) 711:82–102. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-8216-2_7
6. Sharifinejad N, Azizi G, Chavoshzadeh Z, Mahdaviani AS, Alan MS, Tavakol M, et al. Autoimmunity in monogenic combined immune deficiencies with associated or syndromic features. Front Immunol. (2022) 13:1023127. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1023127
Keywords: apoptosis, EBV, autoimmunity, disorders, drugs
Citation: Rizzo F and Houen G (2023) Editorial: Immune evasion mechanisms and their role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders. Front. Immunol. 14:1267922. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1267922
Received: 27 July 2023; Accepted: 22 August 2023;
Published: 13 September 2023.
Edited and Reviewed by:
Betty Diamond, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, United StatesCopyright © 2023 Rizzo and Houen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Fabiana Rizzo, Fabiana.Rizzo@iss.it