T helper type-1 (Th1)/Th2 profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC); responses to antigens of Chlamydia trachomatis in subjects with severe trachomatous scarring

The 65-kD hsp from Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been reported to induce an autopathogenic subset of T cells in at least two animal models of autoimmune disease. Reports of increased expression of human hsp60 in the inflamed synovial tissue of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, increased proliferation of RA synovial fluid T cells to mycobacterial hsp65, and increased levels of anti-mycobacterial hsp65 antibody in synovial fluid, have suggested that the highly homologous human (hu) hsp60 may be recognized as an autoantigen in RA patients. In the present study, we have examined by ELISA the serum IgG antibody levels to mycobacterial hsp65 and hu hsp60, as well as to the Escherichia coli hsp60, groEL, in patients with RA, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Reiter's syndrome, active tuberculosis, and normal controls. In all these groups, the levels of anti-groEL and anti-hu hsp60 were significantly higher than the anti-mycobacterial hsp65. Anti-hu hsp60 was positively correlated with anti-groEL, but not with anti-mycobacterial hsp65. Anti-hu hsp60 was competitively inhibited by either soluble groEL or hu hsp60, but little or none by mycobacterial hsp65. Reiter's sera were found to have somewhat higher levels of anti-groEL and anti-hu hsp60 than did normal controls. We conclude that IgG anti-hu hsp60 autoantibodies arise primarily as a consequence of the humoral immune response to E. coli groEL through the recognition of cross-reactive epitopes.     

Antibody Response of Restricted Isotype to Heat Shock Proteins in Juvenile Chronic Arthritis

Synovial fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) patients have previously been shown to exhibit substantial proliferative responses to both human and mycobacterial heat shock protein (hsp) 65. We investigated the nature of the antibody response to mycobacterial and E. coli hsp 65 and human and E. coli hsp 70 in 56 JCA patients using an ELISA. Elevated levels of antibodies to both human and E. coli hsp 70 were demonstrated. With hsp 65, raised levels of antibodies to the mycobacterial but not the E. coli protein were detected. Overall, 48% of patient serum samples contained antibodies of at least one isotype to mycobacterial hsp 65. These antibodies were predominantly of IgG and IgM isotype, a finding in contrast to adult rheumatoid arthritis, where IgA and IgG isotypes are most often detected.     

Specificity of antibodies induced after immunization of mice with the mycobacterial heat shock protein of 65 kD.

We have previously shown in mice and monkeys that mycobacterial heat shock proteins (hsp) of 65 and 70 kD exert a strong in vivo helper effect when conjugated to synthetic peptides or bacterial oligosaccharides and given in the absence of any adjuvants. Considering the degree of homology existing in the phylogeny among hsp belonging to the same family, we studied whether antibodies induced in mice with this protocol of immunization with the mycobacterial 65-kD hsp (hsp65) would cross-react, and to what extent, with hsp homologues from other origins, notably with the Escherichia coli GroEL protein and with the human homologue (hsp60). The results obtained show that antibodies to the mycobacterial hsp65 cross-reacted with the E. coli GroEL protein, both in ELISA and Western blot experiments, but not with the human hsp60. In competitive ELISA experiments, the binding of these antibodies to solid-phase hsp65 was very effectively inhibited by low concentrations of the mycobacterial hsp65; however, for human hsp60, 100 times higher concentrations were required in order to obtain similar patterns of inhibition. Finally, murine antibodies to the mycobacterial hsp65 always failed to give positive results in Western blot experiments using extracts of murine cells. Taken together, these data suggest that, after immunization of mice with the mycobacterial hsp65 conjugated to peptides or oligosaccharides in the absence of adjuvants, anti-hsp65 antibodies are induced which cross-react well with hsp homologues from other prokaryotes (e.g. E. coli GroEL), but which weakly bind the human hsp homologue. These results may have implications for the potential use of microbial hsp molecules in the design of conjugated vaccine constructs.     

Disease association of antibodies to human and mycobacterial hsp70 and hsp60 stress proteins.

Structural homology between microbial and human stress proteins has been postulated to be a basis for autoimmunization in chronic inflammatory diseases. Therefore, we estimated by ELISA titration the antibody levels to mycobacterial (M) and human (H) recombinant hsp70 and M-hsp65 heat-shock proteins in sera of patients with Crohn's disease (n = 29), ulcerative colitis (n = 20) and nontuberculous mycobacterial disease of the lungs (n = 20). Antibodies to H-hsp60, separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, were tested in six sera of each group of patients. In Crohn's disease, antibody titres to the M-hsp65 antigen without detectable H-hsp60 binding were significantly elevated in 52% of the patients. In contrast titres to both M-hsp70 and H-hsp70 were demonstrable and correlated, but increased over control values only in four (14%) patients. The antibody pattern in ulcerative colitis was found to be quite different: anti-H-hsp60 binding was demonstrable in most patients, although anti-M-hsp65 titres were not elevated. Furthermore, 25% of patients had significantly elevated titres to M-hsp70, but not to H-hsp70. In non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, about 50% of patients had elevated titres to both hsp65 and hsp71 mycobacterial antigens but not to the corresponding human proteins; patients with Mycobacterium xenopi infection had the highest titres in this group. These results demonstrate the existence of distinct disease-associated patterns in the human antibody response to stress protein antigens. However, these data are not sufficient to imply sensitization with mycobacteria in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, since certain epitopes of heat-shock proteins are shared by several bacterial genera.     

Preferential Binding withEscherichia colihsp60 of Antibodies Prevalent in Sera from Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

One hundred thirty-two patients with various connective tissue disorders, including 60 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), had antibodies against human as well asEscherichia colihsp60 in titers significantly higher than those of normal controls. There was a correlation between titers of antibody to human hsp60 and those toE. colihsp60. Levels of antibodies against human andE. colihsp60 were lower in joint fluids than in sera, indicating little production of antibodies in the joint. Antibodies affinity-purified withE. colihsp60 bound strongly with the homologous hsp60, but weakly with human hsp60. However, antibodies affinity-purified with human hsp60 bound comparably with bothE. colihsp60 and human hsp60. Antibodies affinity-purified withMycobacterium tuberculosishsp65 bound to human hsp60 with a reactivity similar to the reactivity of those affinity-purified with human hsp60. The reactivity to the three hsp60 species was lost when sera were absorbed withE. colihsp60, while the reactivity toE. colihsp60 remained after extensive absorption withM. tuberculosishsp65 or human hsp60. These results indicate that anti-hsp60 antibodies in patients with RA and other connective tissue disorders are raised by infection with intestinal microorganisms such asE. coli.They may represent another example of autoimmune responses triggered by antigenic mimicry of host proteins to microbes and suggest that the reactivity of antibodies from RA patients withM. tuberculosishsp65 might have been a cross-reaction with theE. colihomologue.     

Levels of antibodies against C1q and 60 kDa family of heat shock proteins in the sera of patients with various autoimmune diseases

Previously a strong positive correlation was found between antibodies to C1q (C1qAb) and antibodies against human heat shock protein (hsp60) and mycobacterial hsp65 in HIV infected patients. Here the levels of these antibodies were measured in the sera of patients with different autoimmune diseases (122 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 55 systemic sclerosis, 33 undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD), 27 primary Raynaud syndrome, 21 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 14 polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM), and 192 healthy blood donors. The prevalence of IgG C1qAb was found to be high (P<0.0001 as compared to the healthy controls) only in the SLE group. The levels of the anti-hsp60 (P=0.0094) and anti-hsp65 (P=0.0108) antibodies were high only in the UCTD patients. No correlation was found between the C1qAb and anti-hsp antibodies in any group except a significant (P=0.011) positive correlation between C1qAb and hsp65 antibodies in the patients with UCTD. These findings indicate that the autoantibodies against C1q are heterogeneous: in different diseases different types of C1qAb may dominate.     

Failure of the H2 antagonist cimetidine to reverse parasite antigen-specific lymphocyte unresponsiveness in experimental filariasis.

Using sera from 75 healthy donors, 68 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and 85 tuberculosis (TB) patients, we have examined the level of antibody of the three major classes binding to seven mycobacterial species, and to three control antigens. The major findings are that IgM binding to mycobacteria is reduced in RA patients who have HLA-DR7 (P = 0.008 for M. tuberculosis antigen), and that IgA binding to mycobacteria is reduced in RA patients who have HLA-DR2 (P = 0.007 for M. tuberculosis; P = 0.0004 for M. nonchromogenicum). These associations were not seen in TB, and were restricted to these antibody isotypes. We believe this is the first report of isotype specific Class II MHC-associated regulation of antibody levels in man. A possible interpretation of our data is that patients bearing these haplotypes are recognizing suppressor epitopes common to all the mycobacterial species tested. Since DR2 and DR7 have recently been shown to be associated with a significantly reduced risk of RA, our findings are compatible with the view that changes in immune responsiveness to mycobacterial antigens, or to autoantigens which cross-react with them, are relevant to RA.     

A synthetic 10-kD heat shock protein (hsp10) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis modulates adjuvant arthritis

The heat shock protein, hsp10, is an abundant protein in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), its nucleotide sequence encoding a protein of 99 amino acids with a molecular mass of 10±7kD. This sequence is phylogenetically conserved, being represented by the GroES homologue of Escherichia coli. Hsp 10 and GroES are members of the chaperonin 10 family of molecular chaperones, and GroES is necessary for the optimal activity of GroEL, a member of the chaperonin 60 family and the E coli homologue of mycobacterial hsp65. Since hsp65 has been implicated in both experimental and human rheumatoid arthritis, we aimed to assess the immunomodulatory effects of its co-chaperonin, hsp10, in experimental arthritis. Our results show that an aqueous solution of a mycobacterial hsp10 delayed the onset and severity of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rodents when administered after disease induction but before joint involvement occurred. This biological activity was specific for the hsp10 of Mtb, since neither GroES nor the rat homologue was effective. Using synthetic hsp10 fragments, the activity was localized to the N-terminal region of the molecule. Assessment of circulating antibody levels to mycobacterial hsp10 and hsp65 indicated that all arthritic rats had increased litres to both hsp10 and hsp65: hsp10-treated rats showed further elevation of this humoral response not only to hsp10 but also to hsp65 when compared with the untreated arthritic control. This is the first report of the immunomodulatory activity of mycobacterial hsp10 in experimental arthritis, and exhibits a potential role for this co-chaperonin in pathophysiological situations.     

Humoral response against heat shock proteins and other mycobacterial antigens after intravesical treatment with bacille Calmette–Guérin (BCG) in patients with superficial bladder cancer

Few studies have analysed the antibody response during intravesical BCG immunotherapy for superficial bladder cancer. We have examined the evolution in serum antibody response against several heat shock proteins (hsp), including the recombinant mycobacterial hsp65 and the native protein P64 from BCG, GroEL from Escherichia coli (hsp60 family), recombinant mycobacterial hsp70 and the E. coli DnaK (hsp70 family), against purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) and the AG85 complex of Mycobacterium bovis BCG, as well as against tetanus toxoid in 42 patients with a superficial bladder tumour, 28 treated with six intravesical BCG instillations and 14 patients used as controls. We also analysed the lymphoproliferative response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells against PPD in this population. Data of antibody responses at 6 weeks post BCG were available in all 28 patients, and at 4 month follow up in 17 patients. All patients who demonstrated a significant increase in IgG antibodies against PPD at 4 months follow up had a significant increase already at 6 weeks of follow up. In contrast, IgG antibodies against hsp increased significantly from 6 weeks to 4 months post-treatment. A significant increase in IgG antibodies against PPD, hsp65, P64, GroEL, and hsp70 at 4 months follow up was observed in 10/17, 8/17, 10/17, 4/17 and 8/17 patients. Native P64 protein elicited a higher antibody response than recombinant mycobacterial hsp65. No increase in antibody response was observed against Dnak from E. coli, against AG85 or tetanus toxoid after BCG therapy. An increase in IgG antibodies against P64 at 4 months follow up compared with pretreatment values was found to be a significant predictor of tumour recurrence (P< 0.01). Further studies with a larger number of patients are needed to confirm the value of the antibody response against P64 as a clinical independent prognostic factor.     

Frequency of anti-hsp60, -65 and -70 antibodies in sera of patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Cross-reactivity between microbial and human heat shock proteins (hsps) led to the concept that hsp might be involved in the etiopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. We investigated antibodies to recombinant human hsp60, recombinant Mycobacterium bovis hsp65 and to stress-inducible recombinant human hsp70 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in sera of 209 juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients and 50 healthy controls. Anti-hsp60 antibodies did not exceed the control level in any JIA patient. The numbers of JIA patients (16/209, 7.6%) who raised anti-hsp65 antibodies was equal to healthy controls (4/50, 8%). Elevated levels of antibodies against hsp70 were found in a cohort of patients with JIA (36.8%) when compared with age-matched healthy individuals (2%). These antibodies were predominantly of IgG isotype in systemic disease and IgM isotype in oligoarthritis. In polyarthritis both IgG and IgM antibodies frequently occurred. Significantly higher anti-hsp70 antibody levels were found in RF-positive JIA patients. The levels of anti-hsp70 antibodies correlated with the severity of disease evaluated on the basis of Steinbrocker's functional classification and rtg staging system. No association between anti-hsp70 antibody levels and ANA, HLA B27 and disease duration (less than 2 years x more than 2 years) was observed except IgM anti-hsp70 antibody where significantly higher levels were also detected in HLA B27-positive patients. The prevalence of anti-hsp70 antibodies is much higher in JIA patients when compared with healthy controls, suggesting their possible role in pathological mechanism of the disease.     

New ELISA kits using C3 binding glycoprotein from Cuscuta europea detect mainly IgM CIC in rheumatoid arthritis and progressive systemic sclerosis, but not in systemic lupus erythematosus

Elevated levels of circulating immune complexes (CIC), containing IgG, IgM or IgA antibodies were detected in the sera of patients with autoimmune diseases. This might indicate a different biological meaning of the three isotypes of immunoglobulin (Ig) in the CIC. Each CIC assay detected only certain classes and subclasses of Ig in CIC material or fixed complement protein. In this study, a new method based on C3binding glycoprotein named CIF-ELISA and a well-known method ANTI-C3 ELISA, were used for quantitative assessment of IgM-CIC, IgG-CIC and IgA-CIC levels in human sera. A modified CIF-ELISA and ANTI-C3 ELISA for simultaneous detection of CIC, containing IgG, IgM and IgA, (stCIC), were also performed. The assays were evaluated on the same specially prepared samples: 55 normal sera, 99 sera from rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 88 sera from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 27 sera from progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). We found that the sensitivity of the tests used varied depending on the diseases studied. CIF-ELISA displayed higher sensitivity of IgM-CIC when compared to ANTI-C3 ELISA in RA patients (40.0 and 20.95%, respectively) and PSS (44.43 and 37.04%, respectively). Results for the sensitivity of IgA-CIC were in adverse direction in the RA group (14.28 and 19.05%) and PSS (14.81 and 25.93%) by both methods. It was also established that the concordance of IgM-CIC positives by both methods was 48.84% in RA and 46.67% in PSS, while in SLE it was 18.78%. These results are most probably due to the different assay abilities to detect antibody isotype of the CIC material and help to explain what specific role each Ig isotype in CIC has in the course of the disease.     

Prevalence of anti-Fab antibodies in patients with autoimmune and infectious diseases.

Sensitive ELISA were devised to examine the specificity of circulating IgM and IgA autoantibodies for whole human IgG, Fc and Fab fragments of human IgG. Sera from patients with autoimmune and infectious conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), tuberculosis (TB), infectious mononucleosis (IM) and cystic fibrosis (CF) were studied. Results of the ELISA assays using whole human IgG as antigen revealed that a proportion of patients in each of the groups studied had circulating IgM and IgA rheumatoid factors (RF). Fifteen normal individuals studied were negative. In the latex positive RA group, IgM RF and IgA RF had primarily anti-Fc reactivity (100% and 93% respectively), although 3/15 patients also showed IgM anti-Fab reactivity and one patient had high IgA anti-Fab activity. Patients with SLE and TB who had detectable RF levels also revealed predominantly anti-Fc specificity. In contrast, examination of 25 patients with IM showed positivity for IgM RF activity in 8% of patients using whole IgG as antigen, 24% positivity using purified Fc fragments as antigen and 45% positivity when plates were coated with Fab fragments. Similarly, a large number of CF patients (54%) also showed predominantly IgM anti-Fab activity. Of interest, 69% of the CF patients who were all studied at the time of bacterial infection had detectable IgA RF levels, with 46% of these patients showing both IgA anti-Fc and anti-Fab activity. These findings suggest that autoantibody specificities in autoimmune and infectious diseases are different.     

Subclass Distribution of IgA and IgG Antibodies Against Clq in Patients with Rheumatic Diseases

To obtain insight into the immunoregulatory mechanisms in patients with different rheumatic diseases, the occurrence and the subclass distribution of IgA and IgG antibodies against Clq (anti-ClqAb) was determined. In patients with systemic lupus erythaematosus (SLE) the highest frequency of increased serum levels of IgG anti-ClqAb were found, whereas IgA anti-ClqAb were predominantly present in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis complicated by vasculitis (RV). In all the IgA anti-ClqAb positive AS and RV patients the antibody reactivity involved the IgAl subclass while the IgA2 subclass was found in 47% of the patients. Further characterization of the IgA anti-Clq binding activity in sera of AS patients revealed that both subclasses of IgA anti-ClqAb were predominantly polymeric; the binding of both IgA subclasses with solid phase CI q was inhibitable by aggregated fluid phase Clq; we found no delectable interference of rheumatoid factor in the test system for the measurement of IgA anti-ClqAb. In patients with SLE the IgG anti-ClqAb reactivity was mainly of the IgG2 and IgG3 subclass, whereas in the same patients the IgG anti-tetanus toxoid response was not restricted to these subclasses.
The predominance of IgG2 and IgG3 subclass of anti-ClqAb in sera of SLE patients, suggests a skewing of the anti-ClqAb response. The observation that the IgA anti-ClqAb of both subclasses is predominantly polymeric in nature and the notion that polymeric IgA is associated with activation of inflammation cascades, suggests that IgA anti-ClqAb may contribute to tissue damage.     

Immunoglobulin G and A antibody responses to Bacteroides forsythus and Prevotella intermedia in sera and synovial fluids of arthritis patients

The objective of the present study was to investigate immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibody immune responses to Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Bacteroides forsythus, and Candida albicans in the sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the synovial fluid (SF) of patients with RA (RA-SF samples), and the SF of patients without RA (non-RA-SF samples). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine IgG and IgA antibody levels in 116 serum samples from patients with RA, 52 RA-SF samples, and 43 non-RA-SF samples; and these were compared with those in SF samples from 9 patients with osteoarthritis (OA-SF samples) and the blood from 100 donors (the control [CTR] group). Higher levels of IgG antibodies against B. forsythus (P < 0.0001) and P. intermedia (P < 0.0001) were found in non-RA-SF samples than in OA-SF samples, and higher levels of IgG antibodies against B. forsythus (P = 0.003) and P. intermedia (P = 0.024) were found in RA-SF samples than in OA-SF samples. Significantly higher levels of IgA antibodies against B. forsythus were demonstrated in both RA-SF and non-RA-SF samples than in OA-SF samples. When corrected for total Ig levels, levels of IgG antibody against B. forsythus were elevated in RA-SF and non-RA-SF samples compared to those in OA-SF samples. Lower levels of Ig antibodies against B. forsythus were found in the sera of patients with RA than in the plasma of the CTR group for both IgG (P = 0.003) and IgA (P < 0.0001). When corrected for total Ig levels, the levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against B. forsythus were still found to be lower in the sera from patients with RA than in the plasma of the CTR group (P < 0.0001). The levels of antibodies against P. gingivalis and C. albicans in the sera and SF of RA and non-RA patients were comparable to those found in the respective controls. The levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against B. forsythus were elevated in SF from patients with RA and non-RA-SF samples compared to those in OA-SF samples. Significantly lower levels of IgG and IgA antibodies against B. forsythus were found in the sera of patients with RA than in the plasma of the CTR group. This indicates the presence of an active antibody response in synovial tissue and illustrates a potential connection between periodontal and joint diseases.     

Immune response of the ileum to invasive Escherichia coli diarrheal disease in rabbits.

We have previously characterized a rabbit model of invasive Escherichia coli diarrhea. The purpose of this study was to measure the in vitro synthesis of immunoglobulin and anti-invasive E. coli antibody by ileal tissue and levels of anti-invasive E. coli antibody in sera and ileal contents at intervals after diarrhea. Immunoglobulin synthesis by the ileum peaked at 7 to 9 days, but returned to normal by 11 to 13 days post-diarrhea.l Secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA) was synthesized in greater quantity than was IgG or IgM. Anti-invasive E. coli antibody synthesis peaked at 11 to 13 days, decreased to less than half of maximum by 21 to 24 days, but was increased again at 30 to 33 days post-diarrhea. Secretory IgA anti-invasive E. coli antibody was synthesized in greater quantity than was IgG or IgM antibody. Specific antibody of the IgG and IgM classes, but not of the IgA class, appeared in sera by 4 to 6 days and peaked at 7 to 15 days post-diarrhea. Secretory IgA anti-invasive E. coli antibody was detected in ileal contents by 7 to 13 days, but maximum levels were not reached until 50 to 55 days post-diarrhea. IgG and IgM anti-invasive E. coli antibodies were not detected in ileal contents. The synthesis and secretion of secretory IgA antibody were major components of the immune response of the ileum after infection with an invasive bacterium.     

Assays for total and antigen-specific polymeric IgA in serum based on binding to secretory component

Binding assays with secretory component (SC) were used to detect polymeric IgA antibody to E. coli lipopolysaccharide and to estimate total polymeric IgA in sera from 14 patients with alcoholic liver disease and eight normal controls. Radioiodinated human SC was shown to bind to polymeric IgA and IgM but not to monomeric IgA, secretory IgA or IgG. Serum aliquots (0.5 ml) were totally depleted of IgM using 2 ml anti-IgM affinity columns and the effluent sera were titrated in microtitre plates coated with lipopolysaccharide, the binding of polymeric IgA being detected by adding 10 ng radiolabelled SC. Total polymeric IgA was measured via its capacity to inhibit the binding of 5 ng labelled SC to IgM coated wells, quantitation being achieved by comparison with the inhibition produced by purified polymeric IgA. Total lipopolysaccharide-specific IgA antibody was detected by ELISA in sera from both patients and controls, 1185 +/- 793 and 56 +/- 19 U/100 microliters (mean +/- SD), respectively; but polymeric IgA antibody was detected only in patients' sera (131 +/- 214 U/100 microliters). The concentration of total polymeric IgA was higher in patients' sera than in control sera (488 +/- 333 and less than 120 micrograms/ml respectively).     

C1q autoantibodies in HIV infection: correlation to elevated levels of autoantibodies against 60-kDa heat-shock proteins

Antibodies to solid phase C1q (C1qAb) were determined in 295 serum samples from 132 HIV-infected subjects and in sera from 140 HIV-seronegative healthy individuals as control. An ELISA method applied for the determination of C1qAb in other diseases was used. In part of these sera, other autoantibodies (antibodies reacting with 60-kDa human heat shock protein (hsp60) or mycobacterial hsp65; IgA and IgG class antibodies against the Fab and F(ab')2 moieties of IgG) as well as complement-mediated antibody-dependent enhancement/neutralization (C'-ADE) were also determined. Increased amount of C1qAb was found in HIV-infected subjects as compared with HIV-seronegative controls (P = 0.0138). In 17 of 132 (13.0%) seropositive individuals but only in 7/140 (5.0%) samples from the controls, the amount of C1qAb exceeded the upper limit (95th percentile) of the normal values (P = 0.031). The amount of C1qAb significantly decreased during a follow-up period of 65 months. C1qAb levels were found to strongly correlate to hsp60/65 autoantibodies but did not correlate or only weakly correlated to the amount of anti-Fab or anti-F(ab')2 autoantibodies measured in the same serum samples. Anti-C1q antibodies recognized the solid phase hsp60/65. Three predicted epitope regions of M. paratuberculosis hsp65 were able to bind efficiently C1q antibodies. An inverse correlation was found between C1qAb and C'-ADE, neutralization was more frequent in the sera with detectable C1qAb, whereas sera without C1qAb more likely enhanced HIV infection in vitro.     

Isotype distribution and clinical relevance of anti-beta2-glycoprotein I (beta2-GPI) antibodies: importance of IgA isotype.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of IgG, IgA and IgM anti-beta2-GPI antibodies in anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS), and to establish the clinical significance of IgA type antibodies compared with the other isotypes. Anti-beta2-GPI antibodies were measured in the sera of 70 patients by solid-phase enzyme immunoassay in gamma-irradiated polystyrene plates coated with human purified beta2-GPI. Thirty-three out of the 70 patients were classified as having APS: three of them had primary, and 30 had secondary APS related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The remaining 37 patients had SLE without APS. Anti-beta2-GPI antibodies of IgG, IgA and IgM isotypes were present in 84.8%, 59.3% and 51.5% of patients with APS. Both the frequency and the level of each isotype were significantly higher in patients with APS. This association was very strong for IgA (P = 0.0004 for the antibody frequency and P < 0.0001 for the antibody level), as well as for IgG type antibodies (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001), whereas it was weaker for IgM (P = 0.01 and P = 0.04). A strong relationship was demonstrated between increased IgA anti-beta2-GPI antibody levels and a history of venous thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, heart valve disease, livedo reticularis and epilepsy. IgG anti-beta2-GPI antibodies were associated with the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) in addition to the main features of APS. However, antibodies of IgM isotype were related only to thrombocytopenia and heart valve disease. We recommend the evaluation of anti-beta2-GPI antibodies of IgA isotype in addition to IgG in patients with clinical suspicion of APS.     

Heat shock proteins as carrier molecules: in vivo helper effect mediated by Escherichia coli GroEL and DnaK proteins requires cross-linking with antigen.

In the past few years we have shown that mycobacterial heat shock proteins (hsp) of 65 and 70 kD exert a very strong helper effect in mice and monkeys when conjugated to peptides and oligosaccharides and given in the absence of adjuvants. In the present study we show that this adjuvant-free helper effect (i) is not due to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), since it was observed in LPS-resistant mice (C3H/HeJ) immunized with hsp-based constructs containing the malaria peptide (NANP)40, and (ii) is characteristic of hsp, since it was not observed with conjugates containing the mycobacterial p38 antigen, which is not a stress protein. Interestingly, the hsp GroEL and DnaK of Escherichia coli, which share a high degree of homology with the mycobacterial 65-kD and 70-kD hsp, respectively, exhibit a strong in vivo helper effect when conjugated to the (NANP)40 peptide, and the conjugates given in the absence of adjuvants. This in vivo helper behaviour of the GroEL and DnaK proteins corresponds well to that observed with the mycobacterial 65-kD and 70-kD hsp, respectively, since the hsp65- and GroEL-based constructs require previous priming of the animals with live bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which is not needed for the hsp70- and DnaK-based constructs. Finally, using both mycobacterial and E. coli hsp we show that their in vivo helper effect in the absence of adjuvants requires cross-linking to the synthetic peptide. Taken together, our results suggest that the adjuvant-free helper effect observed with mycobacterial and E. coli hsp may be a generalized phenomenon, exhibited by hsp from diverse microorganisms. These findings may find applications in the design of vaccine constructs.     

Human cytomegalovirus pp65 lower matrix protein: a humoral immunogen for systemic lupus erythematosus patients and autoantibody accelerator for NZB/W F1 mice

Both the infection of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and the immunization of its recombinant glycoprotein (gB) in mice have been known to induce autoimmunity, resulting in symptoms similar to those of human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Research has also found that the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV)-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) is able to react with a human U1-70K-like autoantigen. To investigate HCMV involvement in autoimmunity, we analysed the humoral responses to HCMV by autoimmune patients and normal adults. Our studies show unambiguously that sera from SLE patients exhibited an elevated IgG titre to HCMV when compared with those observed in controls and other connective tissue disease (CTD) patients (P < 0.001). The IgM titres to HCMV and IgG to HBV were evaluated, and no significant differences were noted among all testing groups. In addition to initiating T cell activity, as reported by many investigators, we found that the HCMV pp65 antigen (also known as lower matrix protein) was able to induce humoral responses in SLE patients. Immunoblot assays showed that 82.56% of sera from SLE patients reacted with the HCMV pp65 antigen, but only 11.11%, 23.53% and 31.17% of patients from normal control, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and CTD patients, respectively, reacted to it. Unlike HCMV pp65, HCMV pp150 induced B cell activity in most collected sera (92.22%-98.04%). Finally, female NZB/W F1 mice immunized with plasmids encoding HCMV pp65 open reading frame (pcDNApp65) developed an early onset of autoantibody activity and more severe glomerulonephritis. Thus, we conclude that the HCMV pp65 antigen triggers humoral immunity in SLE patients and autoimmune-prone mice and that it could very well exacerbate the autoimmune responses in susceptible animals.