Clinically insignificant (natural) autoantibodies against acetyl cholinesterase in the sera of patients with a variety of neurologic, muscular and autoimmune diseases

Tzvi Lidar, Andres Christian, Shoshana Yakar, Pnina Langevitz, Gabriel Zeilig, Abraham Ohry, Ronit Bakimer, Hermona Sorek, Avi Livneh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) antibodies were shown to be associated with myasthenia-like neuromuscular disease. However, it is not clear whether they cause the disease, or their presence is secondary to the disease or an unrelated epiphenomenon. Therefore, AChE antibodies were studied in the sera of 135 patients with neurologic, muscular and autoimmune diseases, using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoblotting and enzyme inhibition assay. In 12 sera the AChE binding by ELISA was greater than 2 standard deviations (SDs) above the mean value of the 20 healthy controls. However, this increased binding was not disease-specific, had no clinical correlates and could not be demonstrated using Western blotting and AChE enzyme inhibition assay, suggesting that these antibodies are naturally occurring, pathogenically unimportant autoantibodies. The finding also supports a possible pathogenic role for the previously reported, high titer, high affinity, inhibitory AChE antibodies in the neuromuscular disease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)79-84
Number of pages6
JournalImmunology Letters
Volume55
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1997

Keywords

  • Anti-acetyl cholinesterase antibodies
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Natural autoantibodies
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Clinically insignificant (natural) autoantibodies against acetyl cholinesterase in the sera of patients with a variety of neurologic, muscular and autoimmune diseases'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this