Human Polyreactive IgM Monoclonal Antibodies with Blocking Activity Against Self‐Reactive IgG

Natural IgM antibodies have been found to be involved in the control of IgG reactivity in normal serum. The authors investigated the blocking activity of four human IgM monoclonal antibodies (BY‐2, BY‐7, BY‐10 and IRM‐7) derived from B‐cells from blood samples of three renal dialysis patients, which had shown multispecific properties similar to those observed for natural polyreactive autoantibodies. To achieve this, competitive inhibition assays were performed with these MoAbs on the binding of IgG purified from a healthy control, three patients with SLE, and two patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, to histone, dsDNA, RNP and thyroglobulin. MoAbs inhibited binding of self‐reactive IgG to histone and dsDNA, but not to thyroglobulin or RNP, of natural and active or inactive phase disease‐associated autoreactive IgG. The inhibitory effect of the MoAbs was mediated by V‐region dependent interactions with autoreactive IgG, as shown by the ability of these MoAbs to block the binding of F(ab′) 2 fragments of autoreactive IgG to antigens (histone and dsDNA). The blocking of autoantibody activity was dose‐dependent with maximal inhibition occurring at a specific molar ratio between the patient's IgG and a given MoAb. In contrast, MoAbs did not inhibit binding of IgG alloantibodies present in the sera of four polytransfused renal dialysis patients to target antigens on the surface of different cells. These results support the concept of a functional idiotypic network regulating autoimmune responses, and suggest that the IgM MoAbs under study may be natural polyreactive antibodies belonging to the physiological network of autoantibodies with highly connected V‐regions, capable of binding and functionally neutralizing V‐regions of natural and pathologic autoantibodies.