Canadian Medical Guide > Biological Sciences > Biochemical Phenomena, Metabolism, and Nutrition > Biochemical Phenomena > Molecular Mimicry Terms and Definitions

Molecular Mimicry

Medical Definition:	The process in which structural properties of an introduced molecule imitate or simulate molecules of the host. Direct mimicry of a molecule enables a viral protein to bind directly to a normal substrate as a substitute for the homologous normal ligand. Immunologic molecular mimicry generally refers to what can be described as antigenic mimicry and is defined by the properties of ANTIBODIES raised against various facets of EPITOPES on the viral protein. (From Immunology Letters 1991 May;28(2):91-9)
Also Called:	Antigenic Mimicry,DNA Mimicry
Previously Indexed:	Amino Acid Sequence (1980-1994)

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