title: Cells of cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis patients secrete antibodies to myelin basic protein in vitro.
abstract: To characterize the role of B lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), we have isolated mononuclear cells from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and stimulated them with a polyclonal B-cell mitogen (pokeweed mitogen). This study has been done with MS patients selected for the occurrence of an acute attack in the course of the disease and with patients hospitalized for other neurological diseases. Five of the 11 MS patients had B lymphocytes producing in vitro antibodies (Abs) directed against purified human myelin basic protein (hMBP), as revealed by Western blot analysis. None of the 20 patients with other neurological diseases showed such a reactivity. The produced Abs recognized only 1 or 2 hMBP peptides without dominance for a certain peptide. This result emphasizes the presence of B cells producing Abs against MBP in CSF of MS patients and shows the interest of studying mononuclear cells of CSF as a good marker of the pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institut für Psychiatrie, Neuroimmunology Laboratory, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cash
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weerth
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voltz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kornhuber
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000276:immunology*; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens