True anti-anionic phospholipid immunoglobulin m antibodies can exert lupus anticoagulant activity

Abstract

True (cofactor-independent) anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) are thought to lack lupus anticoagulant (LA) activity and pathogenic potential. A serum monoclonal immunoglobulin Mλ (mIgMλ) with aCL and LA activities found in a man with a splenicIgMλ+ B-cell lymphoplasma-cytic lymphoma (LPL) without thrombotic events has been characterized. LPL-derived hybridoma clones (designated HY-FRO) producing the serum mIgMλ were obtained. mIgMλ secreted by HY-FRO grown in protein-free culture medium, like that purified from serum, (i) showed binding, in a cofactor-free system, to solid-phase CL and phosphat-idylserine (PS) and to the membrane of PS-expressing cells (apoptotic cells and activated platelets); (ii) failed to bind neutral phospholipids (PL), β2Glycoprotein, histone, ssDNA, dsDNA, human IgG and umbilical vein endothelial cells. Absorption with apoptotic cells abolished its binding to anionic plate-bound CL and PS. IgMλ-FRO used poorly mutated VH and Vλ region genes, with a pattern that was inconsistent with an antigen-driven selection. Basic amino acids were present in the IgH complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3), which can be important for binding to anionic PL. These findings demonstrate unequivocally that true anti-anionic PL IgM antibodies can exert LA and indicate this anti-PL type does not involve thrombophilia.