Since the discovery of a specific autoantibody in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in 2004, the water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) has attracted attention as a target of autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system. In NMOSD, the autoantibody (NMO-IgG) binds to the extracellular loops of AQP4 as expressed in perivascular astrocytic end-feet and disrupts astrocytes in a complement-dependent manner. NMO-IgG is an excellent marker for distinguishing the disease from other inflammatory demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. The unique higher-order structure of AQP4-called orthogonal arrays of particles (OAPs)-as well as its subcellular localization may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Recent studies have also demonstrated complement-independent cytotoxic effects of NMO-IgG. Antibody-induced endocytosis of AQP4 has been suggested to be involved in this mechanism. This review focuses on the binding properties of antibodies that recognize the extracellular region of AQP4 and the characteristics of AQP4 that are implicated in the pathogenesis of NMOSD.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/biom12040591 | DOI Listing |
Front Pharmacol
January 2025
The First Department of Specialty Medicine, Inner Mongolia Corps Hospital of The Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Hohhot, China.
Introduction: Eculizumab is a C5 complement inhibitor approved by the FDA for the targeted treatment of four rare diseases, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G-positive optic neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (AQP4-IgG+NMOSD). The current study was conducted to assess real-world adverse events (AEs) associated with eculizumab through data mining of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Methods: Disproportionality analyses, including Reporting Ratio Ratio (ROR), Proportional Reporting Ratio (PRR), Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN), and Multi-Item Gamma Poisson Shrinker (MGPS) algorithms were used to quantify the signals of eculizumab-associated AEs.
Mult Scler
January 2025
NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare autoimmune disorder that occurs in children and adults.
Case: We report a case of a 10-year-old female with AQP4+ NMOSD who presented with paraparesis from longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) from C2 to the conus medullaris. The patient showed gradual improvement in strength and sensation with solumedrol and plasma exchange therapy.
Mult Scler
January 2025
Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neurosciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Eculizumab proved a strong anti-inflammatory effect in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), rare autoimmune diseases affecting the central nervous system in which aquaporin 4-immunoglobulin G (AQP4-IgG) is the main pathogenic antibody. Pregnancy in NMOSD patients is considered at high-risk for neurological and gynecological outcomes, requiring a careful consideration about treatment maintenance. In this case report, we describe a successful pregnancy, resulting in the birth of a healthy child, in a young woman with AQP4-IgG-seropositive NMOSD who was maintained on eculizumab during all pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neuroinflammation
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Center for Medical Research on Innovation and Translation, Institute of Clinical Medicine, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
Abnormality in transactivating response region DNA binding protein 43 (TDP43) is well-recognized as the pathological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the role of TDP43 in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) remains unknown. Here, our observations demonstrate an upregulation of TDP43 in both in vitro and in vivo models of NMOSD, as well as in biological samples from NMOSD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRheumatol Int
January 2025
Department of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology, Geriatrics and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
Sjogren's disease (SjD) is a chronic and disabling autoimmune disease, predominantly characterized by dryness of the mouth and eyes, resulting from lymphocytic infiltration of exocrine glands. While these are the most prominent symptoms, extra-glandular manifestations are also common. Studies suggest that up to 70% of SjD patients experience neurological symptoms, which interestingly often precede the hallmark dryness.
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