Immunoproteomic identification of anti-C9 autoimmune antibody in patients with seronegative obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome

PLoS One. 2018 Jun 12;13(6):e0198472. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198472. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Immunoproteomic analysis was performed to identify unknown, pathology-related molecules in patients with seronegative (SN) obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) who clinically satisfied the diagnostic criteria for APS, but not the serological criteria. We collected peripheral blood from 13 SN-APS outpatients with known thrombotic predisposition, 13 with no known thrombotic predisposition, and four multiparous women with no history of miscarriage (control). Plasma proteins from volunteers were purified and used as plasma protein antigens. Two-dimensional immunoblotting was performed using pooled control or SN-APS serum samples as the primary antibodies. Mass spectrometry of reactive spots specific to SN-APS serum led to the identification of complement molecule C9. Western blotting using commercial purified alkylated C9 was performed to detect autoantibodies. Examination of individual patient serum identified reactivity in one patient with, and in two patients without known thrombotic predisposition. This study suggests that SN-APS pathologies were associated with autoantibodies that react to specific C9 epitopes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antiphospholipid Syndrome / blood
  • Antiphospholipid Syndrome / immunology*
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Complement C9 / immunology*
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional
  • Epitopes / immunology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Proteomics / methods*

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Biomarkers
  • Complement C9
  • Epitopes

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS; JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 25462578 to T.T., https://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/).