User:Marvin O'Neal/VlsE: Difference between revisions

The variable regions undergo the a recombination event leading to variation with an estimated 10³⁰ possible combinations, far exceeding the number of antibodies found in the human immune system (6).  This rapid recombination is initiated by the host’s cytokines, while absence of those cytokines results in a decreased bacterial burden (3).  It is speculated that absence of cytokines leads to little VR variation and cytokine inhibition is proffered as a potential avenue of investigation for alternative vaccination (7).  The nature of variable regions makes it unlikely that enough of a single VR variation will be present in large enough supply to lead to an immunodominant variable region (6).  Thus, cytokine inhibition would in theory prevent variation, thereby creating the potential for an immunodominiant VR region.  This allows for elicitation of an antibody response by the VR regions, which are exposed to antibody binding, thereby negating its shielding effect.  As mentioned, shielding of the immunodominant IR6 by regions which constantly vary allows for IR6 to elicit an immune response while remaining inaccessible to antibody binding.  This combined with the decreased bacterial burden observed in absence of cytokines, and presumably little VR variation, supports the speculated importance of VlsE in evasion of the immune system (2, 3, 5).  <br />  

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