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Cross-reactivity of anti-modified protein antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis


1, 2, 3, 4, 5

 

  1. West China School of Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, and Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
  2. West China School of Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, and Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
  3. West China School of Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, and Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
  4. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China; and Department for Internal Medicine 3, University Hospital Erlangen, and Deutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
  5. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, and Clinical Institute of Inflammation and Immunology (CIII), Frontiers Science Centre for Disease-related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. zhaoyi-rheuma@wchscu.cn

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PMID: 39711363 [PubMed]

Received: 02/07/2024
Accepted : 18/11/2024
In Press: 20/12/2024

Abstract

This review comprehensively discusses the cross-reactivity of autoantibodies against modified proteins (AMPAs), the hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We found that regardless of tissue sources, subtypes, or isotypes of B cells, AMPAs show high cross-reactivity within and across antigens undergoing citrullination, carbamylation, lysine-acetylation or ornithine-acetylation. The cross-reactive patterns of AMPAs display clonal and individual heterogeneity. Variations in the antibody reactivity to different modified antigens in RA are due to the diverse cumulative effects of cross-reactive profiles of AMPA clones. ‘Shared motifs’, as short motifs composed of one core modified residue with one or two flanking amino acids, are essential for AMPA cross-reactivity. AMPAs likely undergo affinity maturation towards shared motifs, during which their cross-reactivity to citrullinated antigens was increased, so collaterally was their cross-reactivity to other modifications due to structural similarities between modified residues. Cross-reactivity could aid the activation of AMPA B cells by facilitating T-cell signals from various modified antigens, direct pathogenic effects to tissues where modified antigens accumulate, and drive the clearance of in vivo modified antigens.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55563/clinexprheumatol/c0eeg7

Rheumatology Article