Anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies cloned from autoimmune neuropathy patients show diverse binding patterns in the rodent nervous system

Abstract

We have recently cloned a panel of monoclonal IgM anti-GM1 ganglioside antibodies from peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with multifocal motor neuropathy and Guillain Barre syndrome. In solid-phase immunoassay, the antibodies all reacted with GM1 and also reacted to different degrees with the structurally related glycolipids asialo-GM1 and GD16. These antibodies are being used to study the pathogenesis of anti-GM1 antibody-mediated neuropathy in different experimental systems. In the present immunofluorescence study we report the binding patterns of 5 of these antibodies in the rodent nervous system. The antibodies demonstrated highly diverse binding patterns on tissue sections and teased fibers when compared to one another and between different species. The antibodies bound many central and peripheral nervous system structures, including neurons and myelin, motor end plate regions, and muscle spindles. The diversity of binding shown by these antibodies provides evidence that may account for the differing clinical phenotypes, including normality, associated with elevated titers of anti-GM1 antibodies.