title: Anti-ganglioside antibodies in a large cohort of European patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: clinical, serological, and HLA class II gene associations. European Concerted Action on the Immunogenetics of SLE.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assay anti-ganglioside antibodies (aGM1) in sera of a large cohort of European patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to define the prevalence of these autoantibodies in SLE; to evaluate the association of aGM1 with clinical manifestations and other autoantibodies found in SLE; and to search for aGM1 association with HLA class II alleles.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred forty-eight patients with SLE were consecutively enrolled in 8 centers from 6 European countries. All sera were tested for antinuclear antibodies by immunofluorescence on HEp-2 cells as substrate, anti-dsDNA, aGM1, aCL, abeta2-glycoprotein I (abeta2-GPI) antibodies by ELISA, and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) by immunofluorescence and by ELISA. Genomic typing for HLA class II loci was performed by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probe method. Clinical assessment was done at the time of enrolment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found 41.9% of patients with clinical signs of neuropsychiatric involvement; 15.5% of patients were positive for aGM1, 8% of the IgG isotype and 8.6% of the IgM isotype; aGM1-IgG were associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations (NPM) (RR = 3.7), with migraine (RR = 2.4), with OBS (RR = 7.3), and with peripheral neuropathy (RR = 8.5). aGM1-IgM were associated with NPM (RR = 4) and with depression (RR = 3.4). Furthermore, the genetic study showed that aGM1-IgG were associated with HLA-DQB1*0404 (RR = 7.2) while aGM1-IgM were associated with HLA-DQB1*0605 (RR = 33.3). No associations were found between aGM1 and anti-dsDNA, aCL, abeta2GP1, or ANCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show aGM1 can be found in patients with SLE. aGM1 may play a pathogenetic role for some NPM in this condition.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Reumatologia, Universita di Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galeazzi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Annunziata
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Sebastiani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bellisai
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Campanella
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Font
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Houssiau
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Passiu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Ramon Garrido
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Nebro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bracci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scorza
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puddu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jedryka-Goral
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smolen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tincani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carcassi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morozzi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcolongo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000276:immunology*; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D005732:Gangliosides