Autoantibodies to CD45 in systemic lupus erythematosus

The Biology of CD45 and its Use as a Therapeutic Target

All mature hemopoietic lineage cells, with exclusion of platelets and mature erythrocytes, share the surface expression of a transmembrane phosphatase, the CD45 molecule. It is also present on hemopoietic stem cells and most leukemic clones and therefore presents as an appropriate target for immunotherapy with anti-CD45 antibodies. This short review details the biology of CD45 and its recent targeting for both treatment of malignant disorders and tolerance induction. In particular, the question of potential stem cell depletion for induction of central tolerance or depletion of malignant hemopoietic cells is addressed. Mechanisms underlying the effects downstream of CD45 binding to the cell surface are discussed.

Lupus IgG VH4.34 Antibodies Bind to a 220-kDa Glycoform of CD45/B220 on the Surface of Human B Lymphocytes

Anti-lymphocyte autoantibodies are a well-recognized component of the autoimmune repertoire in human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and have been postulated to have pathogenic consequences. Early studies indicated that IgM anti-lymphocyte autoantibodies mainly recognized T cells and identified CD45, a protein tyrosine phosphatase of central significance in the modulation of lymphocyte function, as the main antigenic target on T cells. However, more recent work indicates that lupus autoantibodies can also recognize B cells and that CD45 may also represent their antigenic target. In particular, IgM Abs encoded by V(H)4.34 appear to have special tropism for B cells, and strong, but indirect evidence suggests that they may recognize a B cell-specific CD45 isoform. Because V(H)4.34 Abs are greatly expanded in SLE, in the present study we investigated the antigenic reactivity of lupus sera V(H)4.34 IgG Abs and addressed their contribution to the anti-lymphocyte autoantibody repertoire in this disease. Our biochemical studies conclusively demonstrate that lupus IgG V(H)4.34 Abs target a developmentally regulated B220-specific glycoform of CD45, and more specifically, an N-linked N-acetyllactosamine determinant preferentially expressed on naive B cells that is sterically masked by sialic acid on B220-positive memory B cells. Strikingly, our data also indicate that this reactivity in SLE sera is restricted to V(H)4.34 Abs and can be eliminated by depleting these Abs. Overall, our data indicate that V(H)4.34 Abs represent a major component of the lupus IgG autoantibody repertoire and suggest that the carbohydrate moiety they recognize may act as a selecting Ag in SLE.

CD45 autoantibodies mediate neutralization of activated T cells from lupus patients through anergy or apoptosis

The objectives were to provide estimates of the prevalence of autoantibody (Ab) directed to CD45 in lupus patients, identify the target autoantigen(s), and determine the ability of such reactivity to mediate neutralization of T lymphocytes. Sera from 64 patients were studied using 2 assays: Western blot and an ELISA with CD45 eluted from 3 cell lines as antigen (U937, Jurkat and Daudi). The role of carbohydrate specificity was investigated using enzyme digestion of blotted glycans, competition with sugars, and inhibition with lectins. Apoptosis was studied through annexin V binding, and cell cycle analysis using the propidium iodide method. AutoAb to CD45 were detected in 16/64 sera (25%) by Western blot, and 21/32 sera (66%) found positive in the ELISA. CD45 purified from Daudi cells was identified in the ELISA, but not in the blot. AutoAb were of the IgM and the IgG isotypes, but not specific for a particular cell type or CD45 isoform: 2 dominant specificities were recognized, one against p180, and another against high MW isoforms. Neuraminidase-induced enhancement of reactivity, together with the inhibitory effect of N-acetyl galactosamine and Dolichos diflorus lectin suggest that the epitopes are carbohydrates. AutoAb which were specific for activated CD4+T cells triggered the annexin V binding, and, in 2 of 4 cases, lymphocytes underwent apoptosis. In conclusion, carbohydrate conformational epitopes may be important as target antigens, and some CD45 autoAb have the capacity to neutralize activated T cells through anergy or apoptosis.