Analysis of autoantibodies against human retinal antigens in sera of patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to show that complex antibody patterns against retinal antigens in sera of patients with glaucoma, found in previous studies, are autoantibodies against human antigens.

Methods: Sera of 179 patients were collected at the Department of Ophthalmology (University of Mainz, Germany): non-glaucomatous control patients (n=45), primary open-angle glaucoma (n=45), ocular hypertension (n=44), and normal tension glaucoma patients (n=45). The sera were tested against Western blots of human retinal antigens. IgG antibody patterns were analyzed by multivariate statistical techniques, and some significant antigens were identified by mass spectrometry.

Results: All subjects, even healthy ones, showed different and complex banding patterns. Glaucoma groups showed up- and down-regulations of antibody reactivities compared to the control group. The multivariate analysis of discriminance found significant differences (p<0.05) in IgG antibody profiles between glaucoma groups, ocular hypertension, and healthy subjects against human retinal antigens. The antigen band at 12 kDa was identified as Histone H4 via mass spectrometry, the 29 kDa band as cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein, and one at 49 kDa as retinal S-antigen.

Conclusions: Using human retinal antigen, we demonstrated that complex autoantibody patterns exist in sera of patients with glaucoma. Large correlations with previous studies using bovine retinal antigens could be seen.