Neutralizing host responses in hepatitis C virus infection target viral entry at postbinding steps and membrane fusion.

Background & Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a leading cause of chronic hepatitis worldwide. Viral attachment and entry, representing the first steps of virus-host cell interactions, are major targets of adaptive host cell defenses. The mechanisms of antibody-mediated neutralization by host neutralizing responses in HCV infection are only poorly understood.

Isolation and characterization of broadly neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to the e1 glycoprotein of hepatitis C virus.

The relative importance of humoral and cellular immunity in the prevention or clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is poorly understood. However, there is considerable evidence that neutralizing antibodies are involved in disease control. Here we describe the detailed analysis of human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against HCV glycoprotein E1, which may have the potential to control HCV infection.

In pursuit of B-cell synovial autoantigens in rheumatoid arthritis: Confirmation of citrullinated fibrinogen, detection of vimentin, and introducing carbonic anhydrase as a possible new synovial autoantigen.

We aimed to investigate potential synovial autoantigens in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that could trigger the induction of B-cell autoantibodies. Total protein extract of synovial tissue obtained from seven RA patients was pooled and separated by 1-DE and 2-DE. The corresponding blots were probed with sera from RA (n = 30) and disease control samples (n = 30).

Prediction models for rheumatoid arthritis during diagnostic investigation: evaluation of combinations of rheumatoid factor, anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies and the human leucocyte antigen-shared epitope.

Objectives: To calculate the probabilities for rheumatoid arthritis in a consecutive cohort of patients during diagnostic investigation. Different logistic regression models evaluating the value of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-shared epitope determination and testing for rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPA) were fitted.

Methods: 1003 consecutive patients were included in the study, presenting a new diagnostic problem for which rheumatoid arthritis was included in the differential diagnosis.

Identification of citrullinated rheumatoid arthritis-specific epitopes in natural filaggrin relevant for antifilaggrin autoantibody detection by line immunoassay.

Objective: To identify immunodominant epitopes in natural filaggrin that are reactive with antifilaggrin autoantibodies (AFA) in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to explore their use in a diagnostic assay format.

Methods: Based on the results of epitope mapping of human natural filaggrin as well as molecular modeling and computational chemistry, synthetic peptides together with recombinant citrullinated filaggrin were evaluated by a line immunoassay (LIA) for AFA detection. Diagnostic performance was assessed using 336 RA and 253 disease control sera and was compared with that of reference methods.