Autoantibodies in neuroimmunological diseases; relevance of fine specificity

Autoantibodies are involved in the pathogenesis of several neuroimmunological diseases. Anti-neurofascin antibodies are detected in sera from some patients with multiple sclerosis and have been shown to induce axonal damage and exacerbation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Recently, Lindner et al. reported a discrepancy between the activity of the anti-neurofascin antibodies in vivo and that in a cell-based assay. This may be due to the effects of antibody fine specificity and the local molecular environment of the target membrane on the reactivity of the autoantibodies, as reported in diseases such as Guillain-Barré syndrome. Thus, an assay system that better reflects the environment in vivo is needed to evaluate the pathogenetic roles of autoantibodies.