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Human anti-FcεRIα autoantibodies isolated from healthy donors cross-react with tetanus toxoid

1999; Wiley; Volume: 29; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1002/(sici)1521-4141(199904)29

1521-4141

Michael P. Horn, Tamara Gerster, B Ochensberger, Tanja Derer, Franz Kricek, Marie-Hélène Jouvin, Jean‐Pierre Kinet, Thomas Tschernig, Monique Vogel, Beda M. Stadler, Sylvia Miescher,

Autoimmune Bullous Skin Diseases

Natural antibodies (Ab) reacting with self antigens have been shown to be present in all individuals. These autoantibodies (auto-Ab) can be either pathogenic or non-pathogenic. Auto-Ab reacting with the α-subunit of the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcϵRIα) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of a subset of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU). Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) preparations have been used with variable clinical benefit in the treatment of these patients. Here we show that anti-FcϵRIα auto-Ab are present in a therapeutic IVIg preparation as well as in atopic and chronic urticaria patients and healthy individuals. We affinity-purified the anti-FcϵRIα Ab from an IVIg preparation using recombinant FcϵRIα. Interestingly, these anti-FcϵRIα auto-Ab showed no evidence of histamine release but strongly cross-reacted with an external antigen, tetanus toxoid (TTd) with a higher affinity for TTd than for the FcϵRIα. Since the cross-reacting Ab are non-anaphylactogenic, there is no evidence that TTd immunization may contribute to the pathogenesis of CIU. However, our results may indicate that the anti-FcϵRIα auto-Ab belong to the natural Ab and serve as the parental Ab for some anti-TTd Ab.