title: Aquaporin 4 molecular mimicry and implications for neuromyelitis optica.
abstract: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is associated with antibodies to aquaporin 4 (AQP4). We hypothesized that antibodies to AQP4 can be triggered by exposure to environmental proteins. We compared human AQP4 to plant and bacterial proteins to investigate the occurrence of significantly similar structures and sequences. High similarity to a known epitope for NMO-IgG, AQP4(207-232), was observed for corn ZmTIP4-1. NMO and non-NMO sera were assessed for reactivity to AQP4(207-232) and the corn peptide. NMO patient serum showed reactivity to both peptides as well as to plant tissue. These findings warrant further investigation into the role of the environment in NMO etiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Radhika A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Vaishnav
authors.forename: Ruolan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Joab
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Jovan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Rebolledo-Mendez
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tabira
authors.forename: Alicia H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Achiron
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Running
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Friedland
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051401:Aquaporin 4 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D006801:Humans; D018716:Molecular Mimicry / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009471:Neuromyelitis Optica / Q000276:immunology*; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012756:Sheep; D013025:Glycine max; D018724:Spinacia oleracea; D014026:Nicotiana
chemical_list: C496030:AQP4 protein, human; D051401:Aquaporin 4; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D010940:Plant Proteins