Detection of serum anti-retinal antibodies in the Chinese patients with presumed autoimmune retinopathy

• Published in: Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology Vol. 257; no. 8; pp. 1759 - 1764
• Main Authors: Zeng, Hui-yang, Liu, Qian, Peng, Xiao-yan, Cao, Kai, Jin, Shan-shan, Xu, Ke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.08.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibodies; Autoantibodies - blood; Autoimmune Diseases - blood; Autoimmune Diseases - epidemiology; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Blotting, Western; Carbonic Anhydrase II - blood; Carbonic Anhydrase II - immunology; Carbonic anhydrases; China - epidemiology; Disease control; Female; Humans; Incidence; Inflammatory Disorders; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Nerve Tissue Proteins - blood; Nerve Tissue Proteins - immunology; Ophthalmology; Phosphopyruvate hydratase; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - blood; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - immunology; Prevalence; Recoverin; Recoverin - blood; Recoverin - immunology; Retina; Retina - immunology; Retinal Diseases - blood; Retinal Diseases - epidemiology; Retinal Diseases - immunology; Retinopathy; Retrospective Studies; Uveitis; China; Carbonic anhydrase II; Autoimmune retinopathy; Anti-retinal antibodies; Recoverin; α-Enolase; CRMP-5
• ISSN: 0721-832X; 1435-702X; 1435-702X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00417-019-04359-2

Purpose To explore the presence of serum anti-retinal antibodies (ARAs) in the Chinese patients with presumed autoimmune retinopathy (AIR). Methods Twenty-three Chinese patients with presumed AIR, disease controls including 40 RP patients, 22 bilateral uveitis patients, 18 acute zonal outer occult retinopathy (AZOOR) patients, and 30 healthy donors were included. Serum samples of all the subjects were obtained and analyzed for the presence of four ARAs including recoverin, α-enolase, carbonic anhydraseII (CAII), and collapsin response-mediated protein (CRMP)-5 by Western bolt assay. Results ARAs were present in the serum of either presumed AIR patients, disease control, or healthy donors. One or more ARAs were present in the 78.2% of presumed AIR while they were indicated in the 35.0% of RP patients ( p  < 0.01) and 33.3% of healthy donors ( p  < 0.01). The prevalence of ARAs in the bilateral uveitis and AZOOR was 63.3% and 100% respectively. Positive rate of α-enolase antibody present in the presumed AIR, disease control, and healthy donors was 73.9%, 47.5%, and 33.3% respectively. Positive rate of CAII antibody present above groups was 52.1%, 50%, and 33.3% respectively. Recoverin antibody seemed to be specifically present in the serum of patients with cancer-associated retinopathy. Conclusion Presence of serum ARAs including recoverin, α-enolase, CAII, or CRMP-5 in the Chinese patients with presumed AIR occurred significantly more often than RP patients and healthy donors. Seropositivity of ARAs had diagnostic value for the presumed AIR but mere presence was not sufficient for the diagnosis due to identification of them in the healthy controls and other retinal diseases.