The peptide link between pathogens and human centromere proteins.

This work tested the hypothesis that infection causes unexplained production of anti‐centromere protein antibodies (ACA) via autoimmune cross‐reactivity. To further examine the clinical origin of ACA, the overlapped peptides between human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and fungi and centromere proteins (CENP‐A, CENP‐B and CENP‐C) were assessed. We found a broad overlap of pathogenetic peptides with human centromere proteins. These data indicate potential immune cross‐reactivity between pathogens and human centromere proteins. Additionally, the current findings corroborate a molecular and mechanistic framework for autoimmune disorders related to infection. Moreover, preliminary evidence for a potential role of infection in ACA‐related autoimmune diseases was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]