Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.

The majority of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), an organ-specific autoimmune disease, harbor autoantibodies that attack the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR-Abs) at the neuromuscular junction of skeletal muscles, resulting in muscle weakness. Single cell manipulation technologies couple...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tomohiro Makino, Ryuichi Nakamura, Maki Terakawa, Satoshi Muneoka, Kazuhiro Nagahira, Yuriko Nagane, Jyoji Yamate, Masakatsu Motomura, Kimiaki Utsugisawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2017-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5645109?pdf=render
_version_ 1830358464717651968
author Tomohiro Makino
Ryuichi Nakamura
Maki Terakawa
Satoshi Muneoka
Kazuhiro Nagahira
Yuriko Nagane
Jyoji Yamate
Masakatsu Motomura
Kimiaki Utsugisawa
author_facet Tomohiro Makino
Ryuichi Nakamura
Maki Terakawa
Satoshi Muneoka
Kazuhiro Nagahira
Yuriko Nagane
Jyoji Yamate
Masakatsu Motomura
Kimiaki Utsugisawa
author_sort Tomohiro Makino
collection DOAJ
description The majority of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), an organ-specific autoimmune disease, harbor autoantibodies that attack the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR-Abs) at the neuromuscular junction of skeletal muscles, resulting in muscle weakness. Single cell manipulation technologies coupled with genetic engineering are very powerful tools to examine T cell and B cell repertoires and the dynamics of adaptive immunity. These tools have been utilized to develop mAbs in parallel with hybridomas, phage display technologies and B-cell immortalization. By applying a single cell technology and novel high-throughput cell-based binding assays, we identified peripheral B cells that produce pathogenic nAChR-Abs in patients with MG. Although anti-nAChR antibodies produced by individual peripheral B cells generally exhibited low binding affinity for the α-subunit of the nAChR and great sequence diversity, a small fraction of these antibodies bound with high affinity to native-structured nAChRs on cell surfaces. B12L, one such Ab isolated here, competed with a rat Ab (mAb35) for binding to the human nAChR and thus considered to recognize the main immunogenic region (MIR). By evaluating the Ab in in vitro cell-based assays and an in vivo rat passive transfer model, B12L was found to act as a pathogenic Ab in rodents and presumably in humans.These findings suggest that B cells in peripheral blood may impact MG pathogenicity. Our methodology can be applied not only to validate pathogenic Abs as molecular target of MG treatment, but also to discover and analyze Ab production systems in other human diseases.
first_indexed 2024-12-20T02:41:22Z
format Article
id doaj.art-65a5710ead1c47a9a25270373fa6cc0d
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1932-6203
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-20T02:41:22Z
publishDate 2017-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj.art-65a5710ead1c47a9a25270373fa6cc0d2022-12-21T19:56:18ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032017-01-011210e018597610.1371/journal.pone.0185976Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.Tomohiro MakinoRyuichi NakamuraMaki TerakawaSatoshi MuneokaKazuhiro NagahiraYuriko NaganeJyoji YamateMasakatsu MotomuraKimiaki UtsugisawaThe majority of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG), an organ-specific autoimmune disease, harbor autoantibodies that attack the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR-Abs) at the neuromuscular junction of skeletal muscles, resulting in muscle weakness. Single cell manipulation technologies coupled with genetic engineering are very powerful tools to examine T cell and B cell repertoires and the dynamics of adaptive immunity. These tools have been utilized to develop mAbs in parallel with hybridomas, phage display technologies and B-cell immortalization. By applying a single cell technology and novel high-throughput cell-based binding assays, we identified peripheral B cells that produce pathogenic nAChR-Abs in patients with MG. Although anti-nAChR antibodies produced by individual peripheral B cells generally exhibited low binding affinity for the α-subunit of the nAChR and great sequence diversity, a small fraction of these antibodies bound with high affinity to native-structured nAChRs on cell surfaces. B12L, one such Ab isolated here, competed with a rat Ab (mAb35) for binding to the human nAChR and thus considered to recognize the main immunogenic region (MIR). By evaluating the Ab in in vitro cell-based assays and an in vivo rat passive transfer model, B12L was found to act as a pathogenic Ab in rodents and presumably in humans.These findings suggest that B cells in peripheral blood may impact MG pathogenicity. Our methodology can be applied not only to validate pathogenic Abs as molecular target of MG treatment, but also to discover and analyze Ab production systems in other human diseases.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5645109?pdf=render
spellingShingle Tomohiro Makino
Ryuichi Nakamura
Maki Terakawa
Satoshi Muneoka
Kazuhiro Nagahira
Yuriko Nagane
Jyoji Yamate
Masakatsu Motomura
Kimiaki Utsugisawa
Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.
PLoS ONE
title Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.
title_full Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.
title_fullStr Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.
title_short Analysis of peripheral B cells and autoantibodies against the anti-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single-cell manipulation tools.
title_sort analysis of peripheral b cells and autoantibodies against the anti nicotinic acetylcholine receptor derived from patients with myasthenia gravis using single cell manipulation tools
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5645109?pdf=render
work_keys_str_mv AT tomohiromakino analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT ryuichinakamura analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT makiterakawa analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT satoshimuneoka analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT kazuhironagahira analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT yurikonagane analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT jyojiyamate analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT masakatsumotomura analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools
AT kimiakiutsugisawa analysisofperipheralbcellsandautoantibodiesagainsttheantinicotinicacetylcholinereceptorderivedfrompatientswithmyastheniagravisusingsinglecellmanipulationtools