DNA and the Immune System
Authors: David S. Pisetsky
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1997)

Editorials15 January 1997DNA and the Immune SystemDavid S. Pisetsky, MD, PhDDavid S. Pisetsky, MD, PhDDurham Veterans Administration Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-126-2-199701150-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) conveys an enormous amount of information because of the myriad ways in which its four bases can be arranged. As a genetic blueprint, this information provides elaborate instructions for the structure of proteins and the regulation of their expression. Encoded in DNA, however, is information of a fundamentally different kind. As provocative new data indicate, DNA from bacteria has sequences that can instruct the immune system to distinguish “foreign” from “self.” These sequences, which bear characteristic motifs, can trigger innate immunity and are important not only in host defense but in the burgeoning use of DNA to ...References1. Pisetsky DS. The immunologic properties of DNA. J Immunol. 1996; 156:421-3. Google Scholar2. Emlen W, Pisetsky DS, Taylor RP. Antibodies to DNA. A perspective. Arthritis Rheum. 1986; 29:1417-26. Google Scholar3. Madaio MP, Hodder S, Schwartz RS, Stollar BD. Responsiveness of autoimmune and normal mice to nucleic acid antigens. J Immunol. 1984; 132:872-6. Google Scholar4. Tokunaga T, Yamamoto H, Shimada S, Abe H, Fukuda T, Fujisawa Y, et al. Antitumor activity of deoxyribonucleic acid fraction from Mycobacterium bovis BCG. I. Isolation, physicochemical characterization, and antitumor activity. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1984; 72:955-62. Google Scholar5. 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Raz E, Tighe H, Sato Y, Corr M, Dudler JA, Roman M, et al. Preferential induction of a Th1 immune response and inhibition of specific IgE antibody formation by plasmid DNA immunization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996; 93:5141-5. Google Scholar20. Sato Y, Roman M, Tighe H, Lee D, Corr M, Nguyen MD, et al. Immunostimulatory DNA sequences necessary for effective intradermal gene immunization. Science. 1996; 273:352-4. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhDAffiliations: Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705Grant Support: In part by a Veterans Administration Merit Review grant; by the Veterans Administration Research Center on AIDS and HIV Infection; and by grant AR-39162 from the National Institutes of Health.Corresponding Author: David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center, Box 151G, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC 27705. 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