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Rheumatoid factor IgM autoantibodies control IgG homeostasis.

ABSTRACT: Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation due to autoantibodies targeting multiple self-proteins. Most patients with poor prognosis show elevated titers of IgM antibodies specifically binding to IgG. Such autoreactive antibodies are referred to as rheumatoid factor (RF). However, their biological function and contribution to disease progression remains elusive. We have recently shown that autoreactive antibodies are present in healthy individuals and play an important role in regulating physiological processes. This regulatory mechanism is determined by the class and affinity of the autoreactive antibody, as low-affinity autoreactive IgM neutralizes the recognized autoantigen while high-affinity IgM protects its autoantigen from degradation. Here, we show that RFs possessing a high affinity and mono-specificity to IgG have a stabilizing effect on IgG, whereas low-affinity polyreactive RFs neutralize IgG in vivo. These results suggest that autoreactive IgM antibodies recognizing IgG play a crucial role in regulating IgG homeostasis and that a disbalance between IgM-mediated IgG degradation and stabilization might affect the onset and progression of autoimmune diseases. Consequently, restoring this balance using low-affinity anti-IgG IgM might be a promising therapeutic approach for autoimmune diseases involving autoreactive IgG.

SUBMITTER: Nicolo A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9634112 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Rheumatoid factor IgM autoantibodies control IgG homeostasis.

Nicolò Antonella A Amendt Timm T El Ayoubi Omal O Young Marc M Finzel Stephanie S Senel Makbule M Voll Reinhard E RE Jumaa Hassan H

Frontiers in immunology 20221021

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation due to autoantibodies targeting multiple self-proteins. Most patients with poor prognosis show elevated titers of IgM antibodies specifically binding to IgG. Such autoreactive antibodies are referred to as rheumatoid factor (RF). However, their biological function and contribution to disease progression remains elusive. We have recently shown that autoreactive antibodies are present in healthy individuals and play ...[more]

PMID: 36341420

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Project description:Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder affecting the joints. Many patients carry anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA). Overactivation of the complement system seems to be part of the pathogenesis of RA, and autoantibodies against the pathway initiators C1q and MBL, and the regulator of the complement alternative pathway, factor H (FH), were previously reported. Our aim was to analyze the presence and role of autoantibodies against complement proteins in a Hungarian RA cohort. To this end, serum samples of 97 ACPA-positive RA patients and 117 healthy controls were analyzed for autoantibodies against FH, factor B (FB), C3b, C3-convertase (C3bBbP), C1q, MBL and factor I. In this cohort, we did not detect any patient with FH autoantibodies but detected C1q autoantibodies in four patients, MBL autoantibodies in two patients and FB autoantibodies in five patients. Since the latter autoantibodies were previously reported in patients with kidney diseases but not in RA, we set out to further characterize such FB autoantibodies. The isotypes of the analyzed autoantibodies were IgG2, IgG3, IgGκ, IgGλ and their binding site was localized in the Bb part of FB. We detected in vivo formed FB-autoanti-FB complexes by Western blot. The effect of the autoantibodies on the formation, activity and FH-mediated decay of the C3 convertase in solid phase convertase assays was determined. In order to investigate the effect of the autoantibodies on complement functions, hemolysis assays and fluid phase complement activation assays were performed. The autoantibodies partially inhibited the complement-mediated hemolysis of rabbit red blood cells, inhibited the activity of the solid phase C3-convertase and C3 and C5b-9 deposition on complement activating surfaces. In summary, in ACPA-positive RA patients we identified FB autoantibodies. The characterized FB autoantibodies did not enhance complement activation, rather, they had inhibitory effect on complement. These results support the involvement of the complement system in the pathomechanism of RA and raise the possibility that protective autoantibodies may be generated in some patients against the alternative pathway C3 convertase. However, further analyses are needed to assess the exact role of such autoantibodies.

Project description:IntroductionWe and others have previously shown that antibodies against cyclic citrullinated proteins (anti-CCP) precede the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in a more recent study we reported that individuals who subsequently developed RA had increased concentrations of several cytokines and chemokines years before the onset of symptoms of joint disease. Here we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and predictive values of anti-CCP antibodies of IgG, IgM and IgA isotype in individuals who subsequently developed RA and also to relate these to cytokines and chemokines, smoking, genetic factors and radiographic score.MethodsA case-control study (1:4 ratio) was nested within the Medical Biobank and the Maternity cohorts of Northern Sweden. Patients with RA were identified from blood donors predating the onset of disease by years. Matched controls were selected randomly from the same registers. IgG, IgA and IgM anti-CCP2 antibodies were determined using EliA anti-CCP assay on ImmunoCAP 250 (Phadia AB, Uppsala, Sweden).ResultsOf 86 patients with RA identified as blood donors prior to the onset of symptoms, samples were available from 71 for analyses. The median (Q1 to Q3) predating time was 2.5 years (1.1 to 5.9 years). The sensitivity of anti-CCP antibodies in the pre-patient samples was 35.2% for IgG, 23.9% for IgA, and 11.8% for IgM. The presence of IgG and IgA anti-CCP antibodies was highly significant compared with controls. IgG and IgA anti-CCP2 predicted RA significantly in conditional logistic regression models odds ratio (OR) = 94.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 12.7 to 695.4 and OR = 11.1, 95% CI 4.4 to 28.1, respectively, the IgM anti-CCP showed borderline significance OR = 2.5 95% CI 0.9 to 6.3. Concentrations of all anti-CCP isotypes increased the closer to the onset of symptoms the samples were collected with an earlier and higher increase for IgG and IgA compared with IgM anti-CCP. IgA and IgG anti-CCP positive individuals had different patterns of up-regulated chemokines and also, smoking brought forward the appearance of IgA anti-CCP antibodies in pre-RA individuals.ConclusionsAnti-CCP2 antibodies of both the IgG and IgA isotypes pre-dated the onset of RA by years; also, both IgG and IgA anti-CCP2 antibodies predicted the development of RA, with the highest predictive value for IgG anti-CCP2 antibodies.

Project description:Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies (ACPA) with different fine-specificities. Yet, other serum anti-modified protein autoantibodies (AMPA), e.g. anti-carbamylated (Carb), -acetylated (KAc), and malondialdehyde acetaldehyde (MAA) modified protein antibodies, have been described. In this comprehensive study, we analyze 30 different IgG and IgA AMPA reactivities to Cit, Carb, KAc, and MAA antigens detected by ELISA and autoantigen arrays in N=1985 newly diagnosed RA patients. Association with patient characteristics such as smoking and disease activity were explored. Carb and KAc reactivities by different assays were primarily seen in patients also positive for anti-citrulline reactivity. Modified vimentin (mod-Vim) peptides were used for direct comparison of different AMPA reactivities, revealing that IgA AMPA recognizing mod-Vim was mainly detected in subsets of patients with high IgG anti-Cit-Vim levels and a history of smoking. IgG reactivity to acetylation was mainly detected in a subset of patients with Cit and Carb reactivity. Anti-acetylated histone reactivity was RA-specific and associated with high anti-CCP2 IgG levels, multiple ACPA fine-specificities, and smoking status. This reactivity was also found to be present in CCP2+ RA-risk individuals without arthritis. Our data further demonstrate that IgG autoreactivity to MAA was increased in RA compared to controls with highest levels in CCP2+ RA, but was not RA-specific, and showed low correlation with other AMPA. Anti-MAA was instead associated with disease activity and was not significantly increased in CCP2+ individuals at risk of RA. Notably, RA patients could be subdivided into four different subsets based on their AMPA IgG and IgA reactivity profiles. Our serology results were complemented by screening of monoclonal antibodies derived from single B cells from RA patients for the same antigens as the RA cohort. Certain CCP2+ clones had Carb or Carb+KAc+ multireactivity, while such reactivities were not found in CCP2- clones. We conclude that autoantibodies exhibiting different patterns of ACPA fine-specificities as well as Carb and KAc reactivity are present in RA and may be derived from multireactive B-cell clones. Carb and KAc could be considered reactivities within the "Cit-umbrella" similar to ACPA fine-specificities, while MAA reactivity is distinctly different.

Project description:BackgroundIncreasing evidence incriminates bacteria, especially Mycoplasma fermentans, as possible arthritogenic agents in humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate M. fermentans in the bloodstream of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.MethodsTwo hundred and nineteen blood samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, and healthy individuals were screened by bacterial culture and direct PCR in order to detect mycoplasmas; IgM and IgG against M. fermentans PG18 were also detected by ELISA and Immunoblotting assays in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy individuals.ResultsBlood samples from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and healthy individuals were negative for mycoplasma by culture or direct PCR. In blood samples from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were detected by direct PCR M. fermentans in 2/50 (2%), M. hominis in 2/50 (2%) and U. urealyticum in 1/50 (0.5%). In patients with RA M. fermentans was detected by culture in 13/87 blood samples and in 13/87 by direct PCR, however, there was only concordance between culture and direct PCR in six samples, so M. fermentans was detected in 20/87(23%) of the blood samples from patients with RA by either culture or PCR. Antibody-specific ELISA assay to M. fermentans PG18 was done, IgM was detected in sera from 40/87 patients with RA and in sera of 7/67 control individuals, IgG was detected in sera from 48/87 RA patients and in sera from 7/67 healthy individuals. Antibody-specific immunoblotting to M. fermentans PG18 showed IgM in sera from 35/87 patients with RA and in sera from 4/67 healthy individuals, IgG was detected in sera from 34/87 patients and in sera from 5/67 healthy individuals.ConclusionOur findings show that only M. fermentans produce bacteremia in a high percentage of patients with RA. This finding is similar to those reported in the literature. IgM and IgG against M. fermentans PG18 were more frequent in patients with RA than healthy individuals.

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Rheumatoid factor IgM autoantibodies control IgG homeostasis.

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Rheumatoid factor IgM autoantibodies control IgG homeostasis.

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