Retroviral interference with neuronotrophic signaling in human motor neuron disease?
We tested 13/32 patients with non-familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) positive (41%) for human spuma retrovirus (HSRV) seroreactivity. Half the non-ALS HSRV-positive neurologic patients (12/25) reported multiple fasciculations within the last two years. Sera from four HSRV-env negative ALS patients measurably competed with visna antibodies on maedi-visna antigen. The serologies for bovine leukemia virus, Borna disease virus and GM1IgM-antibodies remained negative. Both visna and foamy virus sequences share epitopes with motor nervous system signal polypeptides, suggesting a retroviral interference with motor neurono-axonal function and neuronotrophic signals.
Ulm University Department of Neurology.
M E
ME
Westarp
K P
KP
Westphal
J
J
Clausen
H B
HB
Rasmussen
R
R
Hoff-Jorgensen
B
B
Föhring
H H
HH
Kornhuber
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000276:immunology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals / Q000276:immunology; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016092:Spumavirus / Q000276:immunology*
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins