Antibodies to fucogangliosides in neurological diseases.
We examined serum antibodies to 4 species of fucogangliosides: fucosyl-GM1, fucosyl-GD1b, alpha galactosyl (alpha fucosyl) GM1 and alpha galactosyl (alpha fucosyl) GD1b, in 329 patients with various neurologic diseases, 32 patients with non-neurologic autoimmune diseases and 50 healthy persons. Nine patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, 2 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 2 with cerebral infarction had IgG anti-fucosyl-GM1 antibody. Five patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome, 1 with cerebral infarction and 1 normal control subject had IgM anti-fucosyl-GM1 antibody, 3 of whom also had IgG anti-fucosyl-GM1 antibody. Sixteen of 17 patients who had IgG or IgM antibody to fucosyl-GM1 showed no sensory dysfunction. Yoshino et al. [J. Neurochem. 1993, 61: 658-663] speculated that anti-fucosyl-GM1 antibody functions in the development of sensory neuropathy, but our results do not support this. Two patients with sensory ataxic neuropathy had high IgM antibody titers to fucosyl-GD1b and alpha galactosyl (alpha fucosyl) GD1b. These fucogangliosides may be the target molecules for serum antibodies in some patients with sensory ataxic neuropathy.
Yuki
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Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan. yuki@dokkyomed.ac.jp
Ariga
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T
D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D012016:Reference Values
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D005732:Gangliosides; C031153:fucogangliosides