Anti-endothelial cell antibodies (AECA) in patients with systemic vasculitis: our research using proteomics

Abstract

To identify target antigens of AECA and to establish a standardized method for measuring AECA would be helpful in the search for a possible pathophysiological role of AECA in systemic vasculitis.

An Innovative Method to Identify Autoantigens Expressed on the Endothelial Cell Surface: Serological Identification System for Autoantigens Using a Retroviral Vector and Flow Cytometry (SARF)

“…The presence of AECAs has been reported in patients with a wide variety of diseases, including collagen diseases (Table 1), inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, thyroid diseases, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, primary sclerosing cholangitis, interstitial lung disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, uveoretinitis, renal transplantation, Susac syndrome, masked hypertension, and atherosclerosis [8–23]. AECAs are correlated to disease activity in some collagen diseases, and are thought to be critical especially for vascular lesions in collagen diseases [23].…”

“…AECAs are correlated to disease activity in some collagen diseases, and are thought to be critical especially for vascular lesions in collagen diseases [23]. In addition, AECAs have been shown to be clinical signs of vasculitis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [24].…”

“…Methods for detection of AECAs have not been standardized, and a number of methods have been reported, including IIF, cell-based-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), flow cytometry, radioimmunoassay, western blotting (WB), and immunoprecipitation [22, 23]. As these each of methods have advantages and disadvantages, use of different technical approaches to obtain more robust data is recommended [7].…”

“…AECAs are also considered to play roles in the development of pathological lesions by a number of methods as described below [22, 23, 30–32]. …”

Validation of a New Biomarker in Patients with Kawasaki Disease Identified by Proteomics

“…Further, the presence of AECA has been correlated with disease activity, and/or its clinical manifestations [1,2]. A number of mechanisms for AECA, for example, activation and apoptosis of vascular Endothelial Cells (ECs), have been proposed [3]. In KD patients, IgM AECA mediate complement-dependent cytotoxicity against Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) and gammaglobulin, a standard therapy for KD, may reduce their effect [4].…”