Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 11, 2026
Recognition of Epidermal Transglutaminase by IgA and Tissue Transglutaminase 2 Antibodies in a Rare Case of Rhesus Dermatitis
Published on: December 15, 2011
Increased Plasma IgE Accelerate Atherosclerosis in Secreted IgM Deficiency
Dimitrios Tsiantoulas1, Ilze Bot1, Maria Ozsvar-Kozma1
1From the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria (D.T., M.O.-K., L.G., K.H., C.J.B.); Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria (D.T., M.O.-K., L.G., T.P., K.H., C.J.B.); Division of Biopharmaceutics, LACDR Leiden University, The Netherlands (I.B., J.K.); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (D.H.C.); and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom (Z.M.).
Rationale:
Deficiency of secreted IgM (sIgM-/-) accelerates atherosclerosis in Ldlr-/-mice. Several atheroprotective effects of increased levels of IgM antibodies have been suggested, including preventing inflammation induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein and promoting apoptotic cell clearance. However, the mechanisms by which the lack of sIgM promotes lesion formation remain unknown.
Objective:
To identify the mechanisms by which sIgM deficiency accelerates atherosclerosis in mice.
Methods And Results:
We here show that both sIgM-/- and Ldlr-/-sIgM-/- mice develop increased plasma IgE titers because of impaired generation of B cells expressing the low-affinity IgE receptor CD23, which mediates the clearance of IgE antibodies. We further report that Ldlr-/-sIgM-/- mice exhibit increased numbers of activated mast cells and neutrophils in the perivascular area of atherosclerotic plaques. Treatment with an anti-IgE-neutralizing antibody fully reversed vascular inflammation and accelerated atherosclerotic lesion formation in cholesterol-fed Ldlr-/-sIgM-/- mice.
Conclusions:
Thus, our data identify a previously unsuspected mechanism by which sIgM deficiency aggravates atherosclerosis.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Atherosclerosis I: Introduction
01:15Transcytosis of IgG
IgG molecules from a mother undergo transcytosis starting around 13 weeks of gestation. The amount of IgG transferred and entering the fetal blood circulation increases with...
01:38Inflammation
01:17Gastritis-II: Pathophysiology
In acute gastritis, the gastric mucosa becomes swollen and red and undergoes superficial erosion. Superficial ulceration may lead to bleeding.
In chronic gastritis, persistent or repeated insults lead to chronic inflammatory changes and, eventually, thinning or atrophy of the gastric tissue.
Gastritis can stem from various causes, each...
01:19Hypersensitivity Reactions: Immune-Complex Reactions
01:10Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...