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Glycoconjugates and Neuroimmunological Diseases

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Glycobiology of the Nervous System

Part of the book series: Advances in Neurobiology ((NEUROBIOL,volume 9))

Abstract

A wide range of neuroimmunological diseases affect the central and peripheral nervous systems. These disorders are caused by autoimmune attack directed against structurally and functionally diverse nervous system antigens. One such category comprises peripheral nervous system (PNS) diseases, termed peripheral neuropathies, in which the target antigens for autoantibody-directed nerve injury are glycan structures borne by glycoproteins and glycolipids, particularly gangliosides that are concentrated in peripheral nerve. The archetypal PNS disorder is the acute paralytic disease, Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) in which autoantibodies against glycolipids arise in the context of acute infections that precede the clinical onset, notably Campylobacter jejuni enteritis. In addition, several chronic autoimmune neuropathies are associated with IgM antibodies directed against nerve glycans including sulphated glucuronic acid epitopes present on myelin-associated glycoprotein and sulphated glucuronyl paragloboside, a range of disialylated gangliosides including GD1b and GD3, and GM1 ganglioside. This chapter describes the immunological, pathological and clinical features of these disorders in the context of our broader knowledge of the glycobiology underpinning this neuroimmunological field.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Hugh J. Willison

  2. Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Room B330, 120 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA, UK

    Hugh J. Willison

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Correspondence to Hugh J. Willison .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA

    Robert K. Yu

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA

    Cara-Lynne Schengrund

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Willison, H.J. (2014). Glycoconjugates and Neuroimmunological Diseases. In: Yu, R., Schengrund, CL. (eds) Glycobiology of the Nervous System. Advances in Neurobiology, vol 9. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1154-7_25

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