Vitiligo Antibodies Are Not Directed to Tyrosinase

Abstract

Background: Patients with vitiligo have a markedly increased incidence of antibodies to melanocytes, referred to as vitiligo antibodies. Antibodies to tyrosinase have been reported in some patients with vitiligo, suggesting that vitiligo antibodies may be directed to this enzyme. However, there is considerable controversy as to the frequency with which these antibodies occur, and, hence, about their relevance to the pathogenesis of vitiligo. The frequency with which antityrosinase antibodies occur in vitiligo is critical to evaluate their potential role in the pathogenesis of this disease.Objective: To examine the prevalence of antibodies to tyrosinase in a large group of patients with vitiligo. Design:We examined the incidence of antibodies to enzymatically and immunologically active tyrosinase in patients with and without vitiligo.Setting: Outpatient clinic in referral center. Patients:The study was conducted on serum samples obtained from 54 patients with active (n = 40) and inac-tive (n = 14) uncomplicated vitiligo and from 52 age-and sex-matched individuals without vitiligo.Main Outcome Measure: Presence in the serum of antibodies to enzymatically and/or immunologically active tyrosinase.Results: By immunoblotting, 20 patients (50%) with active vitiligo, 9 of those (64.3%) with inactive vitiligo, and 29 control individuals (55.8%) had antibodies to an antigen that comigrated with tyrosinase. However, by immunoprecipitation DOPA stain and by sandwich enzymelinked immunosorbent assay, none of the vitiligo or control individuals had antibodies to tyrosinase, even though both assays easily detected control antityrosinase antibodies. Conclusion:These results indicate that while antibodies to an antigen(s) that comigrates with tyrosinase are common in patients with or without vitiligo, vitiligo antibodies are not directed to tyrosinase.

The role of T cells in cutaneous autoimmune disease

“…The treatment success of immunosuppressive treatments, such as cyclosporin A [159,160], corticosteroids [161] and bursectomy in a chicken model of disease [162], underscore the importance of the host immune response in VL pathogenesis. Autoantibodies targeting various melanocyte components, such as tyrosinase and melanocytespecific protein mpel17, have been described [163][164][165][166][167][168][169][170]. Norris et al [163] have shown that antimelanocyte antibodies from patients with active VL induce melanocyte damage in vitro via complementmediated pathways as well as antibody-dependent cytotoxicity.…”

Human dendritic cells adenovirally-engineered to express three defined tumor antigens promote broad adaptive and innate immunity

“…It is recognized by TIL infiltrating melanoma lesions and associated with clinical response 56 . It is also associated with human vitiligo 52 , 53 although that is controversial 57 , 58 . MAGE-A6 is a tumor-specific “cancer-testes” antigen, part of the large family of MAGE genes.…”

Oxidized tyrosinase: A possible antigenic stimulus for non-segmental vitiligo autoantibodies

“…tyrosinase related protein 1 and 2 [8][9][10][39][40][41][42][43][44], but the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the production of autoantibodies and the ways through which these antibodies participate in skin depigmentation remain highly controversial and point of debate [11,12,[44][45][46]. Despite of these controversy, the interplay between ROS and the autoimmunity in vitiligo is understood [12,45].…”

“…However, there is a considerable controversy on the incidence of these antibodies and, hence, about their relevance to the pathogenesis of vitiligo [11]. As for example, the frequency with which anti-tyrosinase antibodies occur in vitiligo is critical to evaluate their potential role in the pathogenesis of this disease.…”

“…However, there has been a considerable controversy on the incidence of anti-tyrosinase antibodies and their relevance to the pathogenesis of vitiligo [11]. Anti-tyrosinase antibodies were initially reported in almost two-thirds of vitiligo patients [8].…”