Matching of oligoclonal immunoglobulin transcriptomes and proteomes of cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis

Nat Med. 2008 Jun;14(6):688-93. doi: 10.1038/nm1714. Epub 2008 May 18.

Abstract

We describe a method for correlating the immunoglobulin (Ig) proteomes with the B cell transcriptomes in human fluid and tissue samples, using multiple sclerosis as a paradigm. Oligoclonal Ig bands and elevated numbers of clonally expanded B cells in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are diagnostic hallmarks of multiple sclerosis. Here we compared the Ig transcriptomes of B cells with the corresponding Ig proteomes in CSF samples from four subjects with multiple sclerosis. We created individual Ig transcriptome databases that contained the subject-specific mutations introduced by V(D)J recombination and somatic hypermutation and then searched the CSF for corresponding characteristic peptides by mass spectrometry. In each sample, the Ig transcriptomes and proteomes strongly overlapped, showing that CSF B cells indeed produce the oligoclonal Ig bands. This approach can be applied to other organ-specific diagnostic fluid or tissue samples to compare the Ig transcripts of local B cells with the corresponding antibody proteomes of individual subjects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / genetics
  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins / immunology*
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Gels
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains / genetics
  • Immunoglobulin Variable Region / genetics
  • Isoelectric Focusing
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Multiple Sclerosis / cerebrospinal fluid*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / immunology
  • Oligoclonal Bands / genetics*
  • Oligoclonal Bands / immunology
  • Proteome / analysis*
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Transcription, Genetic*

Substances

  • Cerebrospinal Fluid Proteins
  • Gels
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains
  • Immunoglobulin Light Chains
  • Immunoglobulin Variable Region
  • Oligoclonal Bands
  • Proteome