Autoantibodies to amphiphysin I and amphiphysin II in a patient with sensory-motor neuropathy.
A proportion of patients with peripheral neuropathies has circulating autoantibodies directed against neural antigens. In some cases, autoantibodies may play a pathogenic role. We studied a patient with a progressive sensory-motor axonal neuropathy of unknown etiology, looking for circulating autoantibodies against neural antigens and we showed that the patient's serum contained anti-amphiphysin I (AMP I) and amphiphysin II (AMP II) autoantibodies. A sural nerve biopsy revealed an axonal neuropathy. Indirect immunofluorescence experiments with the patient's serum showed a staining of rat axons due to alpha-AMP I autoantibodies and a specific labelling of cytoplasm and Schmidt-Lanterman incisures of Schwann cells due to alpha-AMP II autoantibodies. In conclusion we identified a patient affected by a sensory-motor neuropathy with autoantibodies against both AMP I and AMP II.
Perego
L
L
Unit for Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS H.S. Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
Previtali
S C
SC
Nemni
R
R
Longhi
R
R
Carandente
O
O
Saibene
A
A
Sciolla
R
R
Villa
A
A
Gai
P
P
Panzeri
C
C
Dell'Antonio
G
G
Quattrini
A
A
Folli
F
F
D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D009477:Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D009431:Neural Conduction / Q000502:physiology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C075637:amphiphysin