Search results for "autoimmunity."
showing 10 items of 345 documents
Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria in Patients with Common Variable Immunodeficiency
2018
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a predominantly antibody deficiency and is one of the most common primary immunodeficiencies in adulthood. Replacement therapy with Ig has significantly reduced infectious complications; however, malignant, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases are still current major causes of morbidity and mortality. In recent years, interest has increased regarding allergic manifestations that may be associated with primary immunodeficiencies; however, no data are currently available on chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). In this report, the authors describe CSU in patients with CVID attending their centre. Three CVID patients were affected by CSU and were unre…
Identification and characterization of autoantibodies against catalase and α-enolase in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis
1998
SUMMARY Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease of unknown aetiology. Recent studies have shown that genetic factors and both cellular and humoral immunological abnormalities are important in the pathogenesis of PSC. The most prominent autoantibodies in PSC are anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). The autoepitopes of ANCA in PSC are not well defined. The aim of this study was to identify corresponding ANCA autoantigens in patients with PSC. A biochemical approach with enrichment and partial purification of soluble neutrophil proteins, detection of autoantibodies by Western blot and partial amino acid sequencing were used. Two new autoantigen/aut…
Autoimmune thyroid disease: new models of cell death in autoimmunity
2002
Autoimmunity to thyroid antigens leads to two distinct pathogenic processes with opposing clinical outcomes: hypothyroidism in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism in Graves' disease. The high frequency of these diseases and easy accessibility of the thyroid gland has allowed the identification of key pathogenic mechanisms in organ-specific autoimmune diseases. In early investigations, antibody- and T-cell-mediated death mechanisms were proposed as being responsible for autoimmune thyrocyte depletion. Later, studies on apoptosis have provided new insights into autoimmune target destruction, indicating the involvement of death receptors and cytokine-regulated apoptotic pathways in the…
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Receptor Antibodies in Thyroid Eye Disease-Methodology and Clinical Applications.
2018
Background Thyroid stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TSHR-Ab) cause autoimmune hyperthyroidism and are prevalent in patients with related thyroid eye disease (TED). Purpose To provide a historical perspective on TSHR-Ab and to present evidence-based recommendations for clinical contemporary use. Methods The authors review the recent literature pertaining to TSHR-Ab in patients with TED and describe the various immunoassays currently used for detecting TSHR-Ab and their clinical applications. Results We provide a historical summary and description of the various methods used to detect TSHR-Ab, foremost, the functional TSHR-Ab. Increasing experimental and clinical data demonstrate the …
Ultraviolet B light attenuates the systemic immune response in central nervous system autoimmunity
2014
Objective: Environmental conditions (eg, latitude) play a critical role in the susceptibility and severity of many autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of immune regulatory processes induced in the skin by moderate ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation on central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity. Methods: Effects of UVB light were analyzed in a murine model of CNS autoimmunity (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis). Additionally, patients with relapsing–remitting MS were treated with narrowband UVB phototherapy. Immunomodulatory effects were examined in skin biopsies, serum samples, and immune cells of …
Serological Levels of Anti-clathrin Antibodies Are Decreased in Patients With Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma
2021
Evidence for immunologic contribution to glaucoma pathophysiology is steadily increasing in ophthalmic research. Particularly, an altered abundance of circulating autoantibodies to ocular antigens is frequently observed. Here, we report an analysis of autoantibody abundancies to selected antigens in sera of open-angle glaucoma patients, subdivided into normal-tension glaucoma (N = 31), primary open-angle glaucoma (N = 43) and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (N = 45), vs. a non-glaucomatous control group (N = 46). Serum samples were analyzed by protein microarray, including 38 antigens. Differences in antibody levels were assessed by ANOVA. Five serological antibodies showed significantly altered…
RUNX3 and T-Bet in Immunopathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis—Novel Targets for Therapy?
2019
Susceptibility to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is polygenic with more than 100 genes identified to date. These include HLA-B27 and the aminopeptidases (ERAP1, ERAP2, and LNPEPS), which are involved in antigen processing and presentation to T-cells, and several genes (IL23R, IL6R, STAT3, JAK2, IL1R1/2, IL12B, and IL7R) involved in IL23 driven pathways of inflammation. AS is also strongly associated with polymorphisms in two transcription factors, RUNX3 and T-bet (encoded by TBX21), which are important in T-cell development and function. The influence of these genes on the pathogenesis of AS and their potential for identifying drug targets is discussed here.
Autoantigens in the trabecular meshwork and glaucoma‐specific alterations in the natural autoantibody repertoire
2019
Abstract Objectives Primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG) is a neurodegenerative disorder leading to a gradual vision loss caused by progressive damage to the optic nerve. Immunological processes are proposed to be involved in POAG pathogenesis. Altered serological autoantibody levels have been frequently reported, but complete analyses of the natural autoantibodies with respect to disease‐related alterations are scarce. Here, we provide an explorative analysis of pathways and biological processes that may involve naturally immunogenic proteins and highlight POAG‐specific alterations. Methods Mass spectrometry‐based antibody‐mediated identification of autoantigens (MS‐AMIDA) was carried out in…
Role of the IL-23/IL-17 Pathway in Rheumatic Diseases: An Overview
2021
Interleukin-23 (IL-23) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine composed of two subunits, IL-23A (p19) and IL-12/23B (p40), the latter shared with Interleukin-12 (IL-12). IL-23 is mainly produced by macrophages and dendritic cells, in response to exogenous or endogenous signals, and drives the differentiation and activation of T helper 17 (Th17) cells with subsequent production of IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-6, IL-22, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Although IL-23 plays a pivotal role in the protective immune response to bacterial and fungal infections, its dysregulation has been shown to exacerbate chronic immune-mediated inflammation. Well-established experimental data support the concept that IL-23/IL…
Heat-Shock Proteins in Autoimmunity
2013
Heat shock proteins (HSPs), also known as “stress proteins,” are among the highly conserved and immunogenic proteins shared among diverse groups of microbial agents and mammals [1]. Heat and other types of stressful stimuli can increase the cellular expression of HSPs. These proteins have been categorized into different families according to their molecular mass, for example, HSP110, HSP90, HSP70, HSP60, HSP40, HSP20-30, and HSP10 [1–3]. For uniformity, guidelines for the nomenclature of various human HSP families have been proposed [4]. Under physiological conditions, the ubiquitously distributed HSPs maintain the integrity and function of other cellular proteins in stressful conditions. H…