title: Optic neuritis anti-myelin basic protein synthetic peptide specificity.
abstract: Elevated titers of anti-myelin basic protein (anti-MBP) are highly associated with acute idiopathic unilateral optic neuritis as well as acute relapses of multiple sclerosis (MS). During acute phases of optic neuritis, free/bound antibody ratios are generally above unity, with high titers of free anti-MBP and relatively low or undetectable values of bound antibody. Three to 5 months after the acute phase when the majority of patients have recovered, free/bound anti-MBP ratios are below unity with low titers of free antibody and relatively higher levels of bound anti-MBP. Anti-MBP purified from cerebrospinal fluid of patients with optic neuritis are neutralized by synthetic peptides of human MBP containing overall amino acid residues 61-106 and do not react with synthetic peptides corresponding to residues 1-60 and 107-170. Anti-MBP may either have multiple epitopes in the region corresponding to residues 61-106 or it may react with a discontinuous epitope in this range. The mechanism of the optic nerve demyelination may be associated with anti-MBP binding in situ to MBP in the 61-106 amino acid region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine (Neurology), University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Warren
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Catz
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shutt
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D003289:Convalescence; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D009902:Optic Neuritis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D002556:Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D010446:Peptide Fragments