Epitope-specific suppression of antibody response in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis by a monomethoxypolyethylene glycol conjugate of a myasthenogenic synthetic peptide

M. Zouhair Atassi, Ke He Ruan, Kenji Jinnai, Minako Oshima, Tetsuo Ashizawa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

47 Scopus citations

Abstract

A synthetic peptide corresponding to a myasthenogenic region of Torpedo californica acetylcholine (AcCho) receptor (AcChoR) α subunit, AcChoRα-(125-148), was conjugated to monomethoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG). Injection of mice with the mPEG-AcChoRα-(125-148) conjugate and subsequent immunization with whole Torpedo AcChoR suppressed the development of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) by electrophysiological criteria. In anti-AcChoR sera from these animals, the antibody response against unconjugated AcChoRα-(125-148) was decreased, while the antibody responses against whole AcChoR and other epitopes were not altered. There were no detectable changes in T-cell proliferation responses to AcChoRα-(125-148) or to whole AcChoR in these animals. Prior injections with a "nonsense" peptide-mPEG conjugate had no effect on responses to the subsequent immunization with whole Torpedo AcChoR. The results indicate that the mPEG-AcChoRα-(125-148) conjugate has epitope-specific tolerogenicity for antibody responses in EAMG and that the AcChoR α-subunit region comprising residues 125-148 plays an important pathophysiological role in EAMG. The epitope-directed tolerogenic conjugates may be useful for future immunotherapies of human myasthenia gravis. The strategy of specific suppression of the antibody response to a predetermined epitope by using a synthetic mPEG-peptide conjugate may prove useful in manipulation and suppression of unwanted immune responses such as autoimmunity and allergy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5852-5856
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume89
Issue number13
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 1992

Keywords

  • Acetylcholine receptor
  • Electromyography
  • Immune system manipulation
  • T cell
  • Tolerogen-peptide conjugate

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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