01715nas a2200325 4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653001900065653001700084653002200101653003100123653003600154653004000190653003800230653001300268653001100281653002000292653001200312653001600324653001200340653001800352100001500370700001600385245005500401300001000456490000700466520090200473022001401375 1990 d c1990 Dec10aAdult10aAutoantibodies10aAutoimmunity10aBlotting, Western10aComplement System Proteins10aCytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic10aElectrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel10aEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay10aEpitopes10aHumans10aImmunoglobulins10aleprosy10aMiddle Aged10aNeurons10aSchwann Cells1 aThomas B M1 aMukherjee R00aAntineural antibodies in sera of leprosy patients. a420-90 v573 a

A microtiter plate ELISA with semipurified human nerve sonicate antigen(s) (NA) was used to screen the sera of leprosy patients. High titers of IgG and low titers of IgM classes of antineural antibodies directed to peripheral nerve antigens were detected in LL, BL, BB, BT, and TT categories of leprosy. In the Western blot, leprosy sera recognized 50- to 55-, 85- and 108-kDa molecular weight protein bands of NA. The identity of these protein bands immunoreactive with leprosy sera was checked with a panel of commercially available antibodies to known neural proteins. The 50- to 55-kDa band reacted with anti-S100 and anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies while 85 and 108 kDa could not be identified. Whole immunoglobulins isolated from leprosy sera with high titers of antineural antibodies induced cytotoxicity of the cultured glial cell line in the presence of complement.

 a0090-1229