Schluesener H J, Martin R, Sticht-Groh V
Clinical Research Unit for Multiple Sclerosis, Max-Planck Society, Wuerzburg, F.R.G.
Autoimmunity. 1989;2(4):323-30. doi: 10.3109/08916938908997158.
In inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS), oligoclonal bands of immunoglobulin with restricted heterogeneity can often be observed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. These antibodies can be directed against the disease inducing pathogen or might be autoreactive and involved in the process of brain inflammation and demyelination. We used a molecular biology approach to characterize these antibody responses in patients with Lyme disease. This disorder is caused by infections with the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi which is transmitted by ticks. Lyme disease can be associated with neurological symptoms due to inflammation of the central and peripheral nervous system. Phage lambda gtll expression libraries from B. burgdorferi and human brain were screened with cerebrospinal fluid antibody probes from patients with Lyme disease. We obtained recombinant phage clones encoding antigenic proteins from both B. burgdorferi and human CNS libraries. Thus, in this study two patients with chronic Lyme disease produced antibodies against recombinant B. burgdorferi as well as against CNS proteins, and the generation of this transient autoimmune response might be essential to the development of demyelinating disease.
在中枢神经系统（CNS）的炎性疾病中，常常能在脑脊液（CSF）样本中观察到具有受限异质性的免疫球蛋白寡克隆带。这些抗体可能针对引发疾病的病原体，或者可能是自身反应性的，并参与脑炎症和脱髓鞘过程。我们采用分子生物学方法来表征莱姆病患者的这些抗体反应。这种疾病由蜱传播的螺旋体伯氏疏螺旋体感染引起。由于中枢和外周神经系统的炎症，莱姆病可能与神经症状相关。用莱姆病患者的脑脊液抗体探针筛选来自伯氏疏螺旋体和人脑的λ噬菌体gtll表达文库。我们从伯氏疏螺旋体文库和人CNS文库中获得了编码抗原蛋白的重组噬菌体克隆。因此，在本研究中，两名慢性莱姆病患者产生了针对重组伯氏疏螺旋体以及CNS蛋白的抗体，并且这种短暂自身免疫反应的产生可能对脱髓鞘疾病的发展至关重要。
