Antiganglioside antibodies form an important component of the innate and adaptive B cell repertoire, where they provide antimicrobial activity through binding encapsulated bacterial glycans. In an aberrant role, they target peripheral nerve gangliosides to induce autoimmune nerve injury. An important characteristic of antiganglioside antibodies is their ability to selectively recognize highly defined glycan structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune neuropathies including Guillain-Barré syndrome are frequently associated with anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies. These are believed to play a pathogenic role and their clearance from the circulation would be predicted to produce therapeutic benefit. This study examines the conditions required for effective immunoadsorption of anti-GM1 antibodies using glycan-conjugated Sepharose as a matrix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn Guillain-Barré syndrome following Campylobacter enteritis, anti-lipopolysaccharide antibodies cross-react with neural gangliosides, thereby precipitating autoimmune neuropathy. We examined the properties of 15 murine anti-LPS/ganglioside mAbs specific for NeuAc(alpha2-8)NeuAc-Gal disialosyl epitopes. Many mAbs displayed features of an innate B cell origin including polyreactivity (13/15), hybridoma CD5 mRNA expression (5/15), predominance of IgM (9/15) or IgG3 (3/6) isotype, low affinity, and utilisation of unmutated VH and VL VDJ rearrangements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGuillain-Barré syndrome following Campylobacter jejuni infection is frequently associated with anti-ganglioside autoantibodies mediated by molecular mimicry with ganglioside-like oligosaccharides on bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The regulation of antibody responses to these T-cell-independent antigens is poorly understood, and only a minority of Campylobacter-infected individuals develop anti-ganglioside antibodies. This study investigates the response to gangliosides and LPS in strains of mice by using a range of immunization strategies.
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