title: BAFF is decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of multiple sclerosis at clinical onset.
abstract: B-cells are thought to play a relevant role in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathology. BAFF (B cell activating factor of the TNF family) is a B-cell survival factor constitutively produced inside the CNS by astrocytes. We studied the intrathecal synthesis of BAFF in MS at clinical onset. Paired serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens from 40 clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) suggestive of MS or early relapse-onset MS (eRRMS) and from 18 healthy controls (HC) were analysed. Patients were classified based on the detection of oligoclonal IgG bands in the CSF (IgGOB+ and IgGOB-). BAFF was detected by highly sensitive ELISA and its ratio (CSF-BAFF/serum-BAFF, QBAFF) and Index (QBAFF/QAlb, BAFF-Index) were calculated. IgGOB+ presented lower CSF concentrations of BAFF compared to both HC and IgGOB- (p<0.05). BAFF Index was significantly lower in IgGOB+ compared to both HC and IgGOB- (p<0.01). A significant inverse correlation between QIgG and QBAFF (r: -0.4, p<0.05) and between BAFF index and IgGIF (r: -0.4, p<0.05) or IgG Index (r: -0.4, p=0.05) was found in IgGOB+. The decreased CSF levels of BAFF in IgGOB+ at clinical onset suggest the absorption of this factor by intrathecally recruited B cells since the early disease phases.
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: marco.puthenparampil@studenti.unipd.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puthenparampil
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: silvia.miante@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miante
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: lisafederle@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Federle
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: clairezanetta@gmail.com.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zanetta
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: elisabetta.toffanin@unipd.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toffanin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: susanna.ruggero@unipd.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruggero
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: dr.francesca.rinaldi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences DNS, University Hospital - Medical School, via Giustiniani 5, 3518 Padova, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.gallo@unipd.it.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gallo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D043025:Oligoclonal Bands; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human
keywords: BAFF; Cerebrospinal fluid; IgGOB; Multiple sclerosis