To look for a needle in a haystack: the search for autoantibodies in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The search for autoantibodies in multiple sclerosis (MS) has been challenging for the last 3 decades. With the development of new proteomic methods and advances in expression and assay technologies, progress in the identification of MS autoantibodies has been made. A number of MS-specific autoantibodies have been proposed, most of them targeting proteins expressed in oligodendrocytes and along the myelin sheath. In this review, we summarize the status of antibody research in MS and then discuss recent developments and future strategies in defining and characterizing the potential antigenic targets of autoantibodies in MS.

Citrullination as a plausible link to periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease

“…Antibodies against myelin basic protein (MBP) are detectable in serum of patients with active demyelinating lesions in MS [63]. Analogous to MS as an autoimmune condition, damaged myelin interacts with Aβ deposits in AD and antibodies to glial derived antigens are reported [64].…”

Pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis: How Much Space is Left for Autoimmunity?

“…Based on these findings MS is considered an autoimmune disease. However, when looking for autoimmune phenomena in clinical MS, the results so far are disappointing [51]. This in contrast to autoimmune encephalitides where autoantibodies are readily found and successfully used in diagnostics.…”

Utility of Autoantibodies as Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Staging of Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…This potassium channel is seemingly lost on implicated cells in chronic and acute MS lesions and is being thoroughly investigated as to its role in the autoimmune reactivity driving disease pathology. When investigated for its diagnostic utility, it was found that 47% of MS patients had autoantibodies to KIR4.1 protein, which are seldom found in healthy patient samples (Schirmer et al, 2014).…”