The role of peptide libraries in the identification of novel autoantigen targets in autoimmune diseases

Identification of pathogenetically relevant autoantigen targets is a major goal in the study of autoimmune diseases. Indeed it may allow the development of new specific diagnostic tools and facilitate the understanding of the pathogenesis of a disease in order to individualize possible novel treatments. The random peptide library is a molecular biology method that consists of the display of random peptides on live microorganisms. The screening of the library with pooled immunoglobulins obtained from patients affected by an autoimmune disease may lead to the identification of novel autoantigens and of antibodies that are able to bind such antigens with high affinity. Testing patients' sera for the presence of these antibodies may be helpful in the diagnosis of the disease. Moreover such antibodies can be investigated for their functional activity and therefore provide new insights into the pathogenesis of the disease.