Anti-GAD Antibody in Stiff-Man Syndrome
A novel antineuronal antibody in stiff-man syndrome
Robert B. Darnell, Jonathan Victor, Michael Rubin, Paul Clouston and Fred Plum
Neurology, 43, 114-120 (1993)
Abstract
Two-thirds of stiff-man syndrome (SMS) patients harbor an autoantibody specific for a 64-kD species of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the rate-limiting enzyme in GABA synthesis. We assayed SMS antisera from two patients with SMS for the presence of anti-GAD antibodies using Western blot, immunohistochemical, and enzymatic analyses. Both SMS antisera recognized an 80-kD antigen present in human and rat neuronal extracts, and failed to recognize the 64-kd GAD species. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated neuronal binding identical to that reported with anti-GAD antiobdies. Both sera depleted GAD activity from brain extracts. Our analysis indicates that these SMS antisera differ from previously reported SMS antisera by rocognizing a novel 80-kD antigen, and suggests that they contain antibodies directed against either a species of GAD different in size from the 64-kD enzyme, or a protein that co-immunoprecipitates with GAD.
Download
Publications related to clinical neurophysiology
Return to publications list