title: Antibodies to sulfatide in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis.
abstract: The identity of target antigen(s) in multiple sclerosis (MS) remains elusive despite much effort to identify it. We analyzed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with MS, other neurological diseases (OND), other diseases (OD) and healthy controls for antibodies against purified sulfatide, a major glycosphingolipid of human myelin, by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a thin-layer chromatogram (TLC)-immunostaining technique. Elevated anti-sulfatide antibodies were significantly higher in MS patients as compared with the OND group (p<0.05) and all controls combined (P<0.025). Binding of high titer antibodies to sulfatide was confirmed with TLC-immunostaining. Anti-sulfatide antibodies were detected in all subtypes of MS although the frequency was higher in patients with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) than in patients with primary progressive (PPMS) and relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). The data demonstrate a humoral response to sulfatide in the CSF of patients with MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosciences, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Avenue, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. ilyasaa@umdnj.edu
authors.forename: Amjad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ilyas
authors.forename: Zie-Wie
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Stuart D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cook
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology*; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008177:Lupus Vulgaris / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000276:immunology; D012008:Recurrence; D013433:Sulfoglycosphingolipids / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D013433:Sulfoglycosphingolipids