Super Antigens (SAgs) are molecule able to activate non specific immune repertoire, by bridging together T-cell receptors with non-specific partners.Initially this cause lymphocyte activation but then result in clonal deletion and anergy, leading to immune tolerance. Some viruses would encode superantigens that may help them survive against host innate immunity.
B T Huber, P N Hsu, N Sutkowski
Microbiol Rev September 1996; 60: 473?482
Epstein-Barr virus would transactivates the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-K18 that encodes a superantigen, thereby gaining the advantages of immune escape
N Sutkowski, B Conrad, D A Thorley-Lawson, B T Huber
Immunity October 2001; 15: 579?589