Antibody reactivity against EBNA1 and GlialCAM differentiates multiple sclerosis patients from healthy controls.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS), which is linked to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, preceding the disease. The molecular mechanisms underlying this connection are only partially understood. We previously described molecular mimicry between the EBV transcription factor EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) and three human CNS proteins: anoctamin-2 (ANO2), alpha-B crystallin (CRYAB), and glial cellular adhesion molecule (GlialCAM).