Mixed connective tissue disease connective tissue disease is not necessarily associated with serum antibodies directed against the U1-RNP, and MCTD is associated with a more clearly defined set of signs/symptoms. MCTD combines features of scleroderma, myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis (with some sources adding polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and inclusion body myositis) and is thus considered an overlap syndrome. MCTD commonly causes: It has been associated with HLA-DR4. Distinguishing laboratory characteristics are a positive, speckled anti-nuclear antibody and an anti-U1-RNP antibody. The prognosis of mixed connective tissue disease is in one third of cases worse than that of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In spite
Human Endogenous Retrovirus-W occur when the immune system recognizes an antigen and activates the immune response cascade. The transcribed and translated products of the HERV-W Env gene come from retroviral DNA thus the human body detects these proteins as antigens triggering the immune response. Specifically, cytokine production is elevated in the MS PBMC cultures as compared to the healthy controls and mediated by the surface unit of the MSRV Env protein. This suggests that the MSRV Env protein may induce abnormal cytokine secretion, which leads to inflammation. A further explanation of how the expression of MSRV causes inflammation is found when looking at