Immunoreactivity of glycoproteins isolated from human peripheral nerve and Campylobacter jejuni (O:19)

OBJECTIVE: Antibodies to ganglioside GM1 are associated with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in patients with serologic evidence of a preceding infection with Campylobacter jejuni. Molecular mimicry between C. jejuni Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and ganglioside GM1 has been proven to be the immunopathogenic mechanism of the disease in the axonal variant of GBS. GM1-positive sera cross-react with several Gal-GalNAc-bearing glycoproteins from the human peripheral nerve and C. jejuni (O:19). This study aimed to examine the immunoreactivity of the digested cross-reactive glycoproteins isolated from the human peripheral nerve and C. jejuni (O:19) with Peanut Agglutinin (PNA) as a marker for the Gal-GalNAc determinant, and with sera from patients with GBS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For this purpose, the cross-reactive glycoproteins from peripheral nerve and C. jejuni (O:19) were enzymatically digested with trypsin and the obtained peptides were incubated with PNA and GBS sera. RESULTS: Western blot analysis of the separated peptides revealed several bands showing positive reactivity to PNA and to sera from patients with GBS, present in both digests from peripheral nerve and C. jejuni (O:19). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate the possible molecular mimicry between the cross-reactive glycoproteins present in C. jejuni and human peripheral nerve and its potential role in the development of GBS following infection with C. jejuni (O:19).