Abstract
Anti-recoverin autoantibodies have been associated with cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR), a paraneoplastic blinding disease. Those antibodies have been shown to induce apoptotic death of photoreceptor cells. The objective was to ascertain the mechanisms of retinal death induced by anti-recoverin antibody in vitro by examining the apoptotic pathway involved in retinal cell death. Internalization of anti-recoverin antibody or its Fab fragments by retinal cells mediated by endocytosis lead to cytotoxicity. Antibody cellular translocation induced the increase of bcl-xs and bax and the decrease in the bcl-xL protein. We detected the release of cytochrome c and down-regulation of the apaf-1 protein. This correlated with the sequential activation of caspase 9 and caspase 3, as well as the degradation of the caspase substrate PARP and the fragmentation of DNA. Our data show that anti-recoverin antibodies are inducers of apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway involving caspases 9 and 3. We propose that a similar mechanism may be in place in patients with CAR syndrome where high levels of circulating antibodies have been associated with retinal degeneration.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 72-82 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Neuroimmunology |
Volume | 132 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2002 |
Keywords
- Autoimmunity
- Cancer-associated retinopathy
- Endocytosis
- Photoreceptors
- Recoverin
- Retinal degeneration
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Neurology
- Clinical Neurology