title: New autoantibodies in pediatric opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome.
abstract: Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS) is a rare neurologic disorder comprising the main symptoms of eye-movement disturbances, muscle jerks, and severe ataxia. In children and adults, some cases are associated with a tumor as a paraneoplastic syndrome, whereas in children the paraneoplastic form is almost exclusively associated with neuroblastoma. The detection of autoantibodies in some OMS sera led to the hypothesis that the syndrome is of autoimmune origin. Beside autoantibodies against intracellular proteins, such as anti-Hu, alpha-enolase, and KHSRP, specific binding of autoantibodies to the surface of neuroblastoma cells and cerebellar granular neurons have been found. Antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of these autoantibodies on neuroblastoma cell lines were noted as well. These results support the concept of a humoral autoimmune process in the pathogenesis of OMS.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Friedrichstrasse 24, Justus-Liebig-University, D-35392 Giessen, Germany. Antje.Kirsten@biochemie.med.uni-giessen.de
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kirsten
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fühlhuber
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaps
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kreutz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korfei
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Preissner
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Blaes
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D053578:Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies