Autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors are increased in archived serum samples from patients with schizophrenia.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the levels of IgG against neurotransmitter receptors are increased in patients with schizophrenia. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies of schizophrenia confirmed that 108 loci harbouring over 300 genes were associated with schizophrenia. Although the functional implications of genetic variants are unclear, theoretical functional alterations of these genes could be replicated by the presence of autoantibodies.

An examination of plasma autoantibodies against voltage gated calcium channels in schizophrenia.

Autoantibodies targeting the central nervous system have been shown to induce psychiatric symptoms resembling schizophrenia. Concurrently, genetic studies have characterised a number of risk variants associated with schizophrenia although their functional implications are largely unknown. Any biological effects of functional variants on protein function may potentially be replicated by the presence of autoantibodies against such proteins.

A B-cell or a key player? The different roles of B-cells and antibodies in melanoma.

The B-cell system plays an important role in the melanoma immune response; however, consensus has yet to be reached in many facets. Here, we comprehensively review human studies only, due to fundamental differences in the humoral response with animal models. Tumour-infiltrating B-cells are associated with contradictory prognostic values, reflecting a lack of agreement between studies on cell subset classification and differences in the markers used, particularly the common use of a single marker not differentiating multiple subsets.

No correlation between HLA-DQ 2.5, DQ 8.1 and DQ 6.2 and circulating levels of antibodies against gliadins in schizophrenia.

It has been suggested that gluten consumption is linked to schizophrenia, with this link strengthened through the presence of circulating anti-native gliadin antibodies (AGAs). The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is crucial for antigen presentation and antibody secretion but no study has examined the relationship between HLA-II variants and circulating antibodies against gliadin peptides. In this study, HLA-II variants were genotyped in patients with schizophrenia and the relationship between these variants and plasma AGA levels was examined.