title: Detection of anti-aquaporin-4 autoantibodies in the sera of Chinese neuromyelitis optica patients.
abstract: In this study, we recruited 10 neuromyelitis optica patients, two multiple sclerosis patients and two myelitis patients. Chinese hamster lung fibroblast (V79) cells transfected with a human aquaporin-4-mCherry fusion protein gene were used to detect anti-aquaporin-4 antibody in neuromyelitis optica patient sera by immunofluorescence. Anti-aquaporin-4 autoantibody was stably detected by immunofluorescence in neuromyelitis optica patient sera exclusively. The sensitivity of the assay for neuromyelitis optica was 90% and the specificity for neuromyelitis optica was 100%. The anti-aquaporin-4 antibody titers in sera were tested with serial dilutions until the signal disappeared. A positive correlation was detected between Expanded Disability Status Scale scores and serum anti-aquaporin-4 antibody titers. The anti-aquaporin-4 antibody assay is highly sensitive and specific in the sera of Chinese neuromyelitis optica patients. Detection of aquaporin-4 autoantibody is important for the diagnosis and treatment of neuromyelitis optica.
authors.affiliation: Membrane Channel Research Laboratory, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, Jilin Province, China ; Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Miao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Engineering Laboratory for AIDS Vaccine, College of Life Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Weiheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130033, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Environmental Physiology and Centre of Excellence in Comparative Genomics (CEGBA), University of Bari, I-70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pisani
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Environmental Physiology and Centre of Excellence in Comparative Genomics (CEGBA), University of Bari, I-70126 Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frigeri
authors.affiliation: Membrane Channel Research Laboratory, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, Jilin Province, China.
authors.forename: Tonghui
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ma
keywords: Expanded Disability Status Scale; aquaporin-4; autoantibody; autoimmune disease; grants-supported paper; immunofluorescence; multiple sclerosis; neural regeneration; neurodegenerative diseases; neuromyelitis optica; neuroregeneration; photographs-containing paper