title: Autoantibody-induced apoptosis as a possible mechanism of autoimmune retinopathy.
abstract: Circulating antibodies specific to retinal proteins have been associated with retinal dysfunction in patients with retinopathy. Anti-recoverin antibodies found in patients with cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) represent a unique model to study the relationship between retinal degeneration and autoimmunity. A body of evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies indicates that anti-recoverin autoantibodies are cytotoxic to retinal cells and induce apoptotic death of retinal photoreceptor cells, which leads to the degeneration of the photoreceptor cell layer. Similar to anti-recoverin autoantibodies, antibodies with other retinal specificities induce their target retinal cell death by activating a caspase 3-dependent apoptotic pathway. Thus, autoantibody-induced apoptosis may be a common pathway that leads to retinal death and blindness.
authors.affiliation: Neurological Sciences Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, 505 N.W. 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA. adamusg@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adamus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D020169:Caspases / Q000502:physiology; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005136:Eye Proteins; D051597:Hippocalcin; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins; D008954:Models, Biological; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051603:Recoverin; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C496731:RCVRN protein, human; D051603:Recoverin; D051597:Hippocalcin; D020169:Caspases