Humoral response against myelin associated glycoprotein reflects oligodendroglial degeneration in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Introduction Identification of disease-specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers which would enable early detection and follow-up of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a crucial problem. Recently, we confirmed the presence of adaptive immune response against different glial-derived antigens in PD. Objective The aim of the study was to assess humoral response against myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) on a larger group of PD patients. IgM autoantibodies against MAG were measured by an ELISA system in 66 PD patients and 66 control subjects. Results The study confirmed a significantly increased production of anti-MAG IgM antibodies in parkinsonian patients (p 0.05). The results provide evidence for activation of humoral response against MAG in PD patients, but argue against the utility of anti-MAG antibodies as biomarkers of disease severity. The results additionally indicate the potential protective role of autoimmunity in maintaining the body’s homeostasis, which may involve the clearance of abnormal proteins. Further studies are necessary to confirm the role of anti-MAG antibodies as biomarkers of PD, especially in relation to other neurodegenerative disorders.

Keywords

• anti-MAG antibodies
• humoral response
• immune system
• glial cells
• Parkinson’s disease