Anti-fucosyl-GM1 ganglioside IgG and IgM autoantibodies in human serum: no link to pathology.
Anti-fucosyl-GM1 ganglioside antibodies were detected in sera of five persons: four patients with autoimmune neuropathies and more recently, IgG antibodies in one with Graves' disease (Adler et al., Autoimmunity 18, 149-152, 1994) [1]. In the latter case, we were unable to find any relation between the occurrence of antibodies and thyroid disease. Now we report a detailed study on the anti-glycolipid antibodies in this patient. We found that her serum contained not only IgG but also a high level of anti-FucGM1 IgM antibodies, with a titer stable over a period of 5 years of treatment and follow-up. The carbohydrate structure of the epitope recognized by IgG and some of IgM antibodies seems to consist of Fuc-Gal-GalNAc-Gal- or a part of this sequence. Moreover, this patient's serum contained other IgM antibodies active against FucGM1 and also asialo GM1 glycolipids. Our results indicate that anti-FucGM1 ganglioside antibodies of G and M classes occur in serum of this patient with no apparent adverse health effects.
Department of Biochemistry, Medical Center of Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland.
G
G
Adler
T
T
Pacuszka
M
M
Strugalska
I
I
Targońska
M
M
Panasiewicz
A
A
Lewartowska
D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005260:Female; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D009500:Neutralization Tests
D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D005677:G(M1) Ganglioside; C018835:asialo GM1 ganglioside; C039123:fucosyl GM1 ganglioside