Increase of angiotensin II type 1 receptor auto-antibodies in Huntington's disease.
BACKGROUND
In the recent years, a role of the immune system in Huntington's disease (HD) is increasingly recognized. Here we investigate the presence of T cell activating auto-antibodies against angiotensin II type 1 receptors (AT1R) in all stages of the disease as compared to healthy controls and patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) as a prototype neurologic autoimmune disease.


RESULTS
As compared to controls, MS patients show higher titers of anti-AT1R antibodies, especially in individuals with active disease. In HD, anti-AT1R antibodies are more frequent than in healthy controls or even MS and occur in 37.9% of patients with relevant titers ≥ 20 U/ml. In a correlation analysis with clinical parameters, the presence of AT1R antibodies in the sera of HD individuals inversely correlated with the age of onset and positively with the disease burden score as well as with smoking and infection.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest a dysfunction of the adaptive immune system in HD which may be triggered by different stimuli including autoimmune responses, infection and possibly also smoking.
De-Hyung
DH
Lee
Harald
H
Heidecke
Alexandra
A
Schröder
Friedemann
F
Paul
Rolf
R
Wachter
Rainer
R
Hoffmann
Gisa
G
Ellrichmann
Duska
D
Dragun
Anne
A
Waschbisch
Johannes
J
Stegbauer
Peter
P
Klotz
Ralf
R
Gold
Ralf
R
Dechend
Dominik N
DN
Müller
Department of Neurology, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schwabachanlage 6, Erlangen 91054, Germany. carsten.saft@rub.de.
Carsten
C
Saft
Ralf A
RA
Linker
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D044140:Receptor, Angiotensin, Type 1