摘要
Immunotoxins (ITs) are conjugates between toxin and specific ligands, such as monoclonal antibodies (McAb) and growth factor, which may result in potent and specific killing of antigen positive cells. This approach was initially expected to create new cancer therapeutic reagents. Recently, however, the possibility of treating AIDS and other retrovirus-induced diseases with ITs has been realized, and several ITs directed against envelope glycoproteins of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have been constructed. Retroviruses have also been implicated as etiologic agents for autoimmune diseases in humans and animal models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The expression of an endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein and the production of autoantibodies reacting with this protein were found to correlate with the development of fatal glomerulonephritis and arteritis in lupus-prone strains of mice. To elucidate true roles of the endogenous retroviruses in animal models of autoimmune diseases the
