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Mycoplasmal lipid-associated membrane proteins and Mycoplasma arthritidis mitogen recognition by serum antibodies from patients with rheumatoid arthritis

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Abstract

Mycoplasmal lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPs) and Mycoplasma arthritidis mitogen (MAM superantigen) are potent stimulators of the immune system. The objective of this work was to detect antibodies to MAM and LAMPs of Mycoplasma hominis and M. fermentans in the sera of patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to identify mycoplasmal products that can be involved in the etiopathogenesis of these autoimmune diseases. Serum samples from female RA and SLE patients and controls, recombinant MAM, and LAMPs of M. hominis PG21 and M. fermentans PG18 were used in Western blot assays. A similar frequency of sera from patients and controls reactive to MAM was detected. A larger number of M. hominis and M. fermentans LAMPs were recognized by sera from RA patients than controls, but no differences were detected between sera from SLE patients and controls. Among the LAMPs recognized by IgG antibodies from RA patients, proteins of molecular masses in a range of <49 and ≥20 KDa (M. hominis) and <102 and ≥58 KDa (M. fermentans) were the most reactive. These preliminary results demonstrate the strong reactivity of antibodies of RA patients with some M. hominis and M. fermentans LAMPs. These LAMPs could be investigated as mycoplasmal antigens that can take part in the induction or amplification of human autoimmune responses.

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Acknowledgments

The present study was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)/470589/2004-3, and Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa (Funape/UFG), Brazil. Authors thank Dr. Irene da Silva Soares and Tatiane Rodrigues de Oliveira (Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo) for helping us with rMAM. We also thank Dr. Patricia R. A. N. Loyola and Rafael Loyola for review of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPTSP, Tropical Pathology and Public Health Institute, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil

    Hermínio M. da Rocha Sobrinho, Renata Jarach, Milton A. P. Oliveira, Miriam L. Dorta & Fátima Ribeiro-Dias

  2. Rheumatology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil

    Nilzio A. da Silva

  3. Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Marina T. Shio & Sonia Jancar

  4. Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

    Jorge Timenetsky

  5. Setor de Imunologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua 235 S/N Setor Universitário, Goiânia, GO, 74605-050, Brazil

    Fátima Ribeiro-Dias

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  1. Hermínio M. da Rocha Sobrinho
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  2. Renata Jarach
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  9. Fátima Ribeiro-Dias
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Correspondence to Fátima Ribeiro-Dias.

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da Rocha Sobrinho, H.M., Jarach, R., da Silva, N.A. et al. Mycoplasmal lipid-associated membrane proteins and Mycoplasma arthritidis mitogen recognition by serum antibodies from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatol Int 31, 951–957 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-010-1612-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-010-1612-1

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