title: A novel hypothesis to explain the hemorrhagic and connective tissue manifestations of Ebola virus infection.
abstract: The hemorrhagic and connective tissue complications of infection with Ebola virus are poorly understood. While searching for homologies and motifs of the aortic aneurysm-associated autoantigenic protein 40 kDa (AAAP-40), we have noted some short sequences (possibly shared epitopes) that occur in the envelope glycoprotein (40 kDa) of the Ebola virus. As a first step toward determining whether molecular mimicry of human matrix proteins by the Ebola virus protein might explain some of the severe connective tissue manifestations of infection, we have tested whether immunoglobulin (IgG) purified from the sera of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) are immunoreactive with the 40-kDa protein of the Ebola virus. Immunoblots of soluble Ebola proteins (strain Mayinga/Zaire) were probed with IgG's purified from the sera of eight patients with AAA and two healthy young control volunteers. The proteins were also probed with IgG extracted from the walls of two surgical aneurysm specimens. Serum IgG from eight consecutively studied AAA patients was immunoreactive with an Ebola virus protein of 40 kDa, consistent with the envelope glycoprotein. IgG's extracted from the walls of two AAAs were also reactive. The control sera were not reactive. In addition to the Ebola sequences in AAAP-40, an Ebola sequence also occurs in the microfibril-associated glycoprotein-4 (MAGP-4), which is distributed ubiquitously throughout connective tissue with elastin. We hypothesize that the catastrophic hemorrhagic and connective tissue complications of Ebola virus infection may be the result of these shared epitopes.
authors.affiliation: St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University, New York 10027, USA.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Tilson
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ozsvath
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lahita
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000821:virology; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins