title: Elevated antibody reactivity to measles virus NCORE protein among patients with multiple sclerosis and their healthy siblings with intrathecal oligoclonal immunoglobulin G production.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their healthy siblings with the MS oligoclonal bands (OCB) trait, (a hyperimmune condition in form of two or more CSF enriched OCBs) harbor in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum elevated immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers against measles crude whole-cell antigen. The underlying mechanism resulting in the increased IgG antibody reactivity to measles remains unclear. The response may represent specific IgG reactivity to measles antigens or unspecific auto-antibodies targeting cellular components in the crude whole virus antigens commonly used in detection assays.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the specificity of the measles IgG antibody reactivity by using a purified single nucleoprotein as antigen, thereby minimizing the contribution from auto-antibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The conserved N-terminal portion of the measles nucleocapsid protein (NCORE) was expressed as a specific antigen devoid of human or primate components. Serological analyses were performed on CSF and sera from MS patients, their clinically healthy siblings and healthy unrelated controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MS patients demonstrated higher IgG reactivity compared to healthy controls in both CSF (P<0.001) and serum (P<0.001), and compared to siblings in CSF (P<0.001) and serum (P=0.2). Siblings with MS OCB trait showed higher IgG reactivity than healthy controls in CSF (P=0.002) and serum (P=0.01). Comparison between siblings with MS OCB trait and siblings without MS OCB trait showed (P=0.04) for CSF and (P=0.08) for serum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest a measles-specific component in the antibody reactivity demonstrated by MS patients and their siblings with the MS OCB trait.
authors.affiliation: Section for Clinical Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10 B, 41264 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Linn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques (AFMB), UMR 7257, CNRS et Université Aix-Marseille, 13288 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Longhi
authors.affiliation: Section for Clinical Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10 B, 41264 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Enarsson
authors.affiliation: Section of Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Oluf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.affiliation: Section of Clinical Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haghigi
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical Statistics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Staffan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.affiliation: Section for Clinical Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10 B, 41264 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lagging
authors.affiliation: Section for Clinical Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10 B, 41264 Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.affiliation: Section for Clinical Virology, Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10 B, 41264 Gothenburg, Sweden. Electronic address: tomas.bergstrom@microbio.gu.se.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bergström
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands / Q000097:blood* / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D035781:Siblings; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands; C000590691:measles virus nucleocapsid protein
keywords: IgG antibodies; Intrathecal antibodies; MS OCB trait; Measles virus; Multiple sclerosis; N(CORE)