When somatic hyper mutation occurs, is it possible for that to generate auto-immunity?
No one thinks that’s an important risk mechanism. If the B cell happens to mutate to bind self, it will not get help from an antiself T cell (T cells do not hypermutate) so is likely to stop dividing and may die. Q: I know of a man who got West Nile Virus and then was bitten by a 2nd infected mosquito, leading to severe and long lasting symptoms, including cognitive problems. His doctor said it was an antibody cascade. Why would this cause long lasting problem? A: He was one smart guy to know this had happened, since there would be no way of knowing whether a mosquito that bit you was carrying virus, unless this was all done in a lab. It is possible, but also possible that the disease just was getting worse and the second bite was irrelevant.
