Hunting for “the” MS Autoantibody

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is thought to be an autoimmune disease, but the pathogenetic autoantibody has not been identified. In search of such an autoantibody, researchers isolated immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies from the serum of 12 individuals with MS. The antibodies were enriched for antigenicity against central nervous system membranes, separated by isoelectric focusing, and analyzed by gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

One electrophoresis spot contained KIR4.1, a potassium channel on astroglia thought to affect myelin development and axonal signal transduction. Among 397 people with MS who were tested, 186 (46.9%) had antibodies to KIR4.1, compared with 3 of 329 (0.9%) with other neurological diseases and none of 59 healthy con…