IL-6-specific autoantibodies among APECED and thymoma patients

Peer reviewe

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis in APECED or thymoma patients correlates with autoimmunity to Th17-associated cytokines

Chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) is frequently associated with T cell immunodeficiencies. Specifically, the proinflammatory IL-17A–producing Th17 subset is implicated in protection against fungi at epithelial surfaces. In autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED, or autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome 1), CMC is often the first sign, but the underlying immunodeficiency is a long-standing puzzle. In contrast, the subsequent endocrine features are clearly autoimmune, resulting from defects in thymic self-tolerance induction caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE). We report severely reduced IL-17F and IL-22 responses to both Candida albicans antigens and polyclonal stimulation in APECED patients with CMC. Surprisingly, these reductions are strongly associated with neutralizing autoantibodies to IL-17F and IL-22, whereas responses were normal and autoantibodies infrequent in APECED patients without CMC. Our multicenter survey revealed neutralizing autoantibodies against IL-17A (41%), IL-17F (75%), and/ or IL-22 (91%) in >150 APECED patients, especially those with CMC. We independently found autoantibodies against these Th17-produced cytokines in rare thymoma patients with CMC. The autoantibodies preceded the CMC in all informative cases. We conclude that IL-22 and IL-17F are key natural defenders against CMC and that the immunodeficiency underlying CMC in both patient groups has an autoimmune basis

AIRE-Deficient Patients Harbor Unique High-Affinity Disease-Ameliorating Autoantibodies

APS1/APECED patients are defined by defects in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) that mediates central T cell tolerance to many self-antigens. AIRE deficiency also affects B cell tolerance, but this is incompletely understood. Here we show that most APS1/APECED patients displayed B cell autoreactivity toward unique sets of approximately 100 self-proteins. Thereby, autoantibodies from 81 patients collectively detected many thousands of human proteins. The loss of B cell tolerance seemingly occurred during antibody affinity maturation, an obligatorily T cell-dependent step. Consistent with this, many APS1/APECED patients harbored extremely high-affinity, neutralizing autoantibodies, particularly against specific cytokines. Such antibodies were biologically active in vitro and in vivo, and those neutralizing type I interferons (IFNs) showed a striking inverse correlation with type I diabetes, not shown by other anti-cytokine antibodies. Thus, naturally occurring human autoantibodies may actively limit disease and be of therapeutic utility.Peer reviewe

Clinical, Genetic and Immunological Characteristics of Paediatric Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome Type 1 Patients in Slovenia / Klinične, Genetske nn Imunološke Značilnosti Otrok In Mladostnikov Z Avtoimunskim Poliglandularnim Sindromom Tipa 1 V Sloveniji

Uvod. Avtoimunski poliglandularni sindrom tipa 1 (APS-1) je redka avtosomno recesivna bolezen, povezana z mutacijami gena AIRE. Tri najpomembnejše komponente APS-1 so kronična mukokutana kandidiaza (CMC), hipoparatiroidizem (HP) in Addisonova bolezen (AD). Raziskali smo klinične, genetske in imunološke značilnosti slovenskih pediatričnih bolnikov z APS-1

Childhood Osteoporosis and Presentation of Two Cases with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type V / Osteoporoza V Otroški Dobi in Predstavitev Dveh Bolnikov Z Osteogenesis Imperfecta Tipa V

Uvod. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) je vzročno heterogena bolezen, katere značilnost je osteoporoza v otroštvu. Pri vseh opisanih bolnikih s podtipom OI tipa V je vzrok bolezni ista mutacija c.-14C>T gena IFITM5. Kljub temu med bolniki obstaja izrazita fenotipska variabilnost v klinični sliki, toda opisan je le dober odgovor na zdravljenje z bisfosfonati