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Tissue culture demyelination by normal human serum
Author(s) -
Silberberg Donald H.,
Manning Margaret C.,
Schreiber Alan D.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410150610
Subject(s) - properdin , complement system , demyelinating disease , complement factor b , alternative complement pathway , complement (music) , immunology , complement component 5 , classical complement pathway , cerebellum , medicine , multiple sclerosis , pathology , biology , antibody , biochemistry , complementation , gene , phenotype
Serum from all of 20 normal individuals induced some degree of demyelination when applied to well‐myelinated mouse cerebellum cultures. An intact complement sequence through C5 is required. Demyelinating activity was heat labile at 56°C for 30 minutes but was not destroyed at 50°C for 30 minutes (which inhibits properdin factor B and alternate complement pathway activation, but not the classic complement pathway). Sera from patients with agammaglobulinemia, C4 deficiency, or C6 deficiency all induced demyelination. Our results suggest that tissue culture demyelination results from nonimmunoglobulin activation of the alternate complement pathway and is not limited to sera from patients with neurological disease.