Identification of the B-cell epitopes of the early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1)

Clin Immunol. 2003 Nov;109(2):154-64. doi: 10.1016/s1521-6616(03)00169-4.

Abstract

Early endosome antigen 1 (EEA1) is a target autoantigen in patients diagnosed with neurological and other autoimmune conditions. Eighteen of 65 sera (28%) that displayed a vesicular cytoplasmic staining pattern also immunoprecipitated the recombinant EEA1. These 18 sera were selected for further clinical, serological and epitope mapping studies. Thirty-six percent of the 18 patients had neurological diseases. Seventeen sera (94%) reacted with the partial length EEA1 constructs that included the C-terminal zinc finger (+FYVE) and the methyl accepting domain (LeuMA: amino acids 82-1411) in an addressable laser bead assay suggesting that the assay may be used for rapid laboratory detection of anti-EEA1 antibodies. Three of seven sera selected for epitope mapping studies bound to EEA1 peptides represented by amino acids 1096-1125, and two reacted with peptides represented by amino acids 1296-1320. One serum reacted only with the C-terminal peptide 1096-1125. The remaining serum reacted with other EEA1 epitopes. This data was supported by the observations that all the sera immunoprecipitated the C-terminal +FYVE (EEA1 1064-1411) construct, a peptide that also contained the linear epitopes 1096-1140. The limited epitope mapping studies suggest that the sera from patients with non-neurological diseases recognized epitopes in the central and C-terminal EEA1 domains, whereas the patients with neurological disease recognized a more restricted set of epitopes in the C-terminal.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Autoantibodies / immunology
  • Autoimmune Diseases / immunology*
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Epitope Mapping
  • Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / immunology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / immunology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Nervous System Diseases / immunology*
  • Peptide Fragments / immunology
  • Precipitin Tests
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • Zinc Fingers / immunology

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • early endosome antigen 1