Characterization of continuous B-cell epitopes in the N-terminus of glutamate decarboxylase67 using monoclonal antibodies

Abstract

Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is an autoantigen associated with the autoimmune disorders Type-1 diabetes (T1D) and stiff-person syndrome (SPS). The protein, being an essential enzyme involved in the production of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid, exists in two isoforms, GAD67 and GAD65. Both isoforms may be targeted by autoantibodies in SPS and T1D patients, although SPS primarily is associated with the presence of GAD67 autoantibodies, whereas T1D mainly is associated with the presence of GAD65 autoantibodies. In this study, we describe antibody reactivity to overlapping GAD67 peptides covering the complete protein sequence by modified peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in order to identify potential GAD67 epitopes using two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Both GAD67 mAbs showed reactivity to linear epitopes located at the N-terminal end of GAD67. The epitopes of GAD mAb 1 and 2 were identified as the amino acid sequences NAGADPNTTN and TETDFSNLF, respectively, corresponding to amino acids 14-23 and 91-99. Fine mapping of the epitopes revealed that antibody reactivity was related to amino acid side-chain functionality, rather than amino acid side-chain specificity. Additionally, results suggested that non-contact amino acids in the epitope structure were essential for antibody reactivity. The exact role of these amino acids remains to be determined, but they are thought to be involved in backbone hydrogen bonds or stabilization of the epitope structure. As only limited knowledge is available in relation to antigenic regions of GAD67, this study contributes to characterization of GAD67 epitopes and may be a first step in the development of peptide-based therapeutics against SPS.

Keywords: GAD67; antibody; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; epitope; glutamate decarboxylase; peptide.