Immunological Investigations of HHV-6 U12 and U51 Encoded Proteins Involvement in Autoimmune Thyroiditis Development

Abstract

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) is a human pathogen with a wide cell tropism and many immunomodulating properties. HHV-6 has been linked to the development of multiple diseases, among them – autoimmune. Conflicting evidence implicates HHV-6 in autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT). HHV- 6 contains two genes (U12 and U51) that encode putative homologues of human G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) like CCR1, CCR3 and CCR5. It has been shown that proteins encoded by HHV-6 U12 and U51 genes can be expressed on the surface of epithelial and some peripheral blood mononuclear cells populations, which makes them a potential cause for evoking autoimmunity.