Autoantibodies in chronic inflammatory neuropathies: diagnostic and therapeutic implications

• Published in: Nature reviews. Neurology Vol. 13; no. 9; pp. 533 - 547
• Main Authors: Querol, Luis, Devaux, Jérôme, Rojas-Garcia, Ricard, Illa, Isabel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.09.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 13/51; 14/1; 631/250/38; 692/53/2421; 692/53/2422; 692/699/375/430; 82/80; Autoantibodies; Autoantibodies - immunology; Biological markers; Care and treatment; Cell Adhesion Molecules - immunology; Contactin 1 - immunology; Diagnosis; Humans; Medicine & Public Health; Nerve Growth Factors - immunology; Neurology; Peripheral nervous system diseases; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating - immunology; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating - physiopathology; Prognosis; Ranvier's Nodes - immunology; review-article
• ISSN: 1759-4758; 1759-4766; 1759-4766
• DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.84

Key Points Discovery of the antigenic targets associated with nerve-specific autoimmune diseases is a crucial step in understanding their pathogenesis The identification of highly disease-specific autoantibodies in patients with inflammatory neuropathies has considerable clinical utility, even when the proportion of antibody-positive patients is low IgG4 antibodies against contactin-1 and neurofascin splice variant 155 characterize a subtype of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy with distinct clinical features, including poor response to intravenous immunoglobulin Autoantibodies linked to multifocal motor neuropathy, polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance and paraneoplastic peripheral nerve disorders provide important clinical information and their presence should be investigated in all patients with inflammatory neuropathies The discovery that IgG4 autoantibodies against node of Ranvier proteins are linked to distinct subsets of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) represents a key advance in our understanding of the chronic inflammatory neuropathies (CINs). Here, Querol and colleagues discuss the clinical implications of these autoantibodies in patients with CIDP and other immune-mediated neuropathies. The chronic inflammatory neuropathies (CINs) are rare, very disabling autoimmune disorders that generally respond well to immune therapies such as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). The most common forms of CIN are chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), multifocal motor neuropathy, and polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance. The field of CIN has undergone a major advance with the identification of IgG4 autoantibodies directed against paranodal proteins in patients with CIDP. Although these autoantibodies are only found in a small subset of patients with CIDP, they can be used to guide therapeutic decision-making, as these patients have a poor response to IVIg. These observations provide proof of concept that identifying the target antigens in tissue-specific antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases is important, not only to understand their underlying pathogenic mechanisms, but also to correctly diagnose and treat affected patients. This state-of-the-art Review focuses on the role of autoantibodies against nodes of Ranvier in CIDP, a clinically relevant emerging field of research. The role of autoantibodies in other immune-mediated neuropathies, including other forms of CIN, primary autoimmune neuropathies, neoplasms, and systemic diseases that resemble CIN, are also discussed.