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Lupus-like autoantibody development in rabbits and mice after immunization with EBNA-1 fragments.

ABSTRACT: Epstein-Barr virus has been implicated in the etiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through serologic and immunologic studies. A potential mechanism for this influence is through molecular mimicry. The EBV nuclear antigen EBNA-1 contains a region, PPPGRRP, with considerable homology to the initial sequence targeted by antibodies in Sm B' autoimmunity, PPPGMRPP. This study examined whether immunization of rabbits and mice with peptides containing the PPPGRRP sequence from EBNA-1 constructed on a poly-lysine backbone was able to drive the development of autoantibodies against the Smith antigen (Sm) and the related antigenic complex, the U1 nuclear ribonucleoproteins (nRNPs). PPPGRRP immunization, and immunization with an EBNA-1 fragment containing PPPGRRP, led to autoantibodies in both rabbits and mice at high frequency (83% of rabbits and 43% of mice). Five out of six immunized rabbits developed either leucopenia or lymphopenia or both. The fine specificity of antibody binding against the lupus-associated autoantigens Sm B', nRNP A, and nRNP C after immunization with the EBNA-1-derived peptides was very similar to the early antibody binding patterns against these proteins in human SLE. This similarity, as well as the prevalence of autoimmunity after immunization with these peptides, identifies PPPGRRP as a strong candidate for molecular mimicry in SLE etiology.

SUBMITTER: Poole BD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2852321 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Lupus-like autoantibody development in rabbits and mice after immunization with EBNA-1 fragments.

Poole Brian D BD Gross Timothy T Maier Shannon S Harley John B JB James Judith A JA

Journal of autoimmunity 20081011 4

Epstein-Barr virus has been implicated in the etiology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through serologic and immunologic studies. A potential mechanism for this influence is through molecular mimicry. The EBV nuclear antigen EBNA-1 contains a region, PPPGRRP, with considerable homology to the initial sequence targeted by antibodies in Sm B' autoimmunity, PPPGMRPP. This study examined whether immunization of rabbits and mice with peptides containing the PPPGRRP sequence from EBNA-1 construc ...[more]

PMID: 18849143

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Project description:Inhalational exposure to crystalline silica is linked to several debilitating systemic autoimmune diseases characterized by a prominent humoral immune component, but the mechanisms by which silica induces autoantibodies is poorly understood. To better understand how silica lung exposure breaks B cell tolerance and unleashes autoreactive B cells, we exposed both wildtype mice of healthy C57BL/6 and lupus-prone BXSB, MRL, and NZB strains and mice carrying an autoantibody transgene on each of these backgrounds to instilled silica or vehicle and monitored lung injury, autoimmunity, and B cell fate. Silica exposure induced lung damage and pulmonary lymphoid aggregates in all strains, including in genetically diverse backgrounds and in autoantibody transgenic models. In wildtype mice strain differences were observed in specificity of autoantibodies and site of enhanced autoantibody production, consistent with genetic modulation of the autoimmune response to silica. The unique autoantibody transgene reporter system permitted the in vivo fate of autoreactive B cells and tolerance mechanisms to be tracked directly, and demonstrated the presence of transgenic B cells and antibody in pulmonary lymphoid aggregates and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, respectively, as well as in spleen and serum. Nonetheless, B cell enumeration and transgenic antibody quantitation indicated that B cell deletion and anergy were intact in the different genetic backgrounds. Thus, silica exposure sufficient to induce substantial lung immunopathology did not overtly disrupt central B cell tolerance, even when superimposed on autoimmune genetic susceptibility. This suggests that silica exposure subverts tolerance at alternative checkpoints, such as regulatory cells or follicle entry, or requires additional interactions or co-exposures to induce loss of tolerance. This possibility is supported by results of differentiation assays that demonstrated transgenic autoantibodies in supernatants of Toll-like receptor (TLR)7/TLR9-stimulated splenocytes harvested from silica-exposed, but not vehicle-exposed, C57BL/6 mice. This suggests that lung injury induced by silica exposure has systemic effects that subtly alter autoreactive B cell regulation, possibly modulating B cell anergy, and that can be unmasked by superimposed exposure to TLR ligands or other immunostimulants.

Project description:Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease of complex clinical presentation and etiology and is likely influenced by numerous genetic and environmental factors. While a large number of susceptibility genes have been identified, the production of antibodies against a distinct subset of nuclear proteins remains a primary distinguishing characteristic in disease diagnosis. However, the utility of autoantibody biomarkers for disease sub-classification and grouping remains elusive, in part, because of the difficulty in large scale profiling using a uniform, quantitative platform. In the present study serological profiles of several known SLE antigens, including Sm-D3, RNP-A, RNP-70k, Ro52, Ro60, and La, as well as other cytokine and neuronal antigens were obtained using the luciferase immunoprecipitation systems (LIPS) approach. The resulting autoantibody profiles revealed that 88% of a pilot cohort and 98% of a second independent cohort segregated into one of two distinct clusters defined by autoantibodies against Sm/anti-RNP or Ro/La autoantigens, proteins often involved in RNA binding activities. The Sm/RNP cluster was associated with a higher prevalence of serositis in comparison to the Ro/La cluster (P?=?0.0022). However, from the available clinical information, no other clinical characteristics were associated with either cluster. In contrast, evaluation of autoantibodies on an individual basis revealed an association between anti-Sm (P?=?0.006), RNP-A (P?=?0.018) and RNP-70k (P?=?0.010) autoantibodies and mucocutaneous symptoms and between anti-RNP-70k and musculoskeletal manifestations (P?=?0.059). Serologically active, but clinically quiescent disease also had a higher prevalence of anti-IFN-? autoantibodies. Based on our findings that most SLE patients belong to either a Sm/RNP or Ro/La autoantigen cluster, these results suggest the possibility that alterations in RNA-RNA-binding protein interactions may play a critical role in triggering and/or the pathogenesis of SLE.

Dataset Information

Lupus-like autoantibody development in rabbits and mice after immunization with EBNA-1 fragments.

Publications

Lupus-like autoantibody development in rabbits and mice after immunization with EBNA-1 fragments.

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