title: Pathophysiology of catalytic antibodies.
abstract: Immunoglobulins have initially been illustrated as proteins produced by the immune system for binding and neutralizing foreign molecules potentially harmful to the organism. The number of V(H), D(H), J(H), V(L) and J(L) genes that encode the variable regions of immunoglobulins and the junctional diversity that occurs at the time of somatic rearrangement determine the extent of the repertoire of antibodies that may be potentially produced by an organism. This potential repertoire includes antibodies the antigen binding site of which may recognize external as well as autologous antigens, or may structurally resemble the active site of enzymes and be endowed with enzymatic activity. Under physiological conditions, B cell clones that produce antibodies naturally endowed with catalytic activity are negatively regulated and subjected to apoptosis. Catalytic antibodies are expressed only following active immunization, or if the physiological regulatory mechanisms that control the expression of catalytic antibody-producing B cell clones are perturbed, e.g. in the context of pregnancy or in the course of autoimmune diseases.
authors.affiliation: INSERM UMRS681, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, UPMC, Institut des Cordeliers, 15 rue de l'Ecole de Médecine, 75006 Paris, France. sebastien.lacroix-desmazes@umrs681.jussieu.fr
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lacroix-Desmazes
authors.forename: Bharath
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wootla
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Delignat
authors.forename: Suryasarathi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: Valakunja
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nagaraja
authors.forename: Michel D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Kazatchkine
authors.forename: Srini V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kaveri
mesh_terms: D017151:Antibodies, Catalytic; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization
chemical_list: D017151:Antibodies, Catalytic