Indication of a possible role in a demyelinating neuropathy for an antigen shared between myelin and NK cells.

In three patients with monoclonal IgM antibodies to myelin-associated glycoprotein and a demyelinating neuropathy, the human monoclonal antibodies and HNK1, a mouse monoclonal antibody against human natural killer cells, reacted with the same region of myelin-associated glycoprotein. In these three patients there was a pronounced decrease in the number of circulating HNK1-positive cells. Taken together, these findings provide evidence that a cross-reactive cell surface antigen may be involved in an autoimmune response directed simultaneously against the nervous system and the immune system.