Patients with Multiple Myeloma Develop SOX2-Specific Autoantibodies after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation. (15th November 2011)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kobold, Sebastian; Tams, Sinje; Luetkens, Tim; Cao, Yanran; Sezer, Orhan; Bartels, Britta Marlen; Reinhard, Henrike; Templin, Julia; Bartels, Katrin; Hildebrandt, York; Lajmi, Nesrine; Marx, Andreas; Haag, Friedrich; Bokemeyer, Carsten; Kröger, Nicolaus; Atanackovic, Djordje
• Other Names: Antonia Scott Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: Clinical & developmental immunology. Volume 2011(2011)
• Publication Date: 2011-11-15
• Subjects: Developmental immunology -- Periodicals; Clinical immunology -- Periodicals; Immune System -- immunology -- Periodicals; Immune System -- growth & development -- Periodicals; Immune System Diseases -- immunology -- Periodicals; 571.9638
• DOI: 10.1155/2011/302145
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1740-2522

Abstract

Abstract : The occurrence of SOX2-specific autoantibodies seems to be associated with an improved prognosis in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). However, it is unclear if SOX2-specific antibodies also develop in established multiple myeloma (MM). Screening 1094 peripheral blood (PB) sera from 196 MM patients and 100 PB sera from healthy donors, we detected SOX2-specific autoantibodies in 7.7% and 2.0% of patients and donors, respectively. We identified SOX2211–230 as an immunodominant antibody-epitope within the full protein sequence. SOX2 antigen was expressed in most healthy tissues and its expression did not correlate with the number of BM-resident plasma cells. Accordingly, anti-SOX2 immunity was not related to SOX2 expression levels or tumor burden in the patients' BM. The only clinical factor predicting the development of anti-SOX2 immunity was application of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Anti-SOX2 antibodies occurred more frequently in patients who had received alloSCT (n = 74 ). Moreover, most SOX2-seropositive patients had only developed antibodies after alloSCT. This finding indicates that alloSCT is able to break tolerance towards this commonly expressed antigen. The questions whether SOX2-specific autoantibodies merely represent an epiphenomenon, are related to graft-versus-host effects or participate in the immune control of myeloma needs to be answered in prospective studies.