Changes in concentrations of tau-reactive antibodies are dependent on sex in Alzheimer's disease patients

J Neuroimmunol. 2018 Sep 15:322:1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2018.05.004. Epub 2018 May 19.

Abstract

The presence of pre-existing natural antibodies against Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathological proteins might interfere with immune responses to therapeutic vaccination with these proteins. We aimed to compare levels of antibodies in CSF and serum: We observed higher reactivity of natural tau-reactive antibodies towards phosphorylated bovine tau protein than to human recombinant (non-phosphorylated) tau protein. Males with MCI-AD had higher amounts of these antibodies than corresponding controls. Concentrations of antibodies were lower in females with the MCI-AD than in control females. These findings may have implications for tau vaccination trials.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Antibody; Mild cognitive impairment; Post-translational modification; Sex; Tau protein.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alzheimer Disease / blood
  • Alzheimer Disease / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Alzheimer Disease / immunology*
  • Animals
  • Antibody Specificity
  • Autoantibodies / analysis*
  • Autoantibodies / blood
  • Autoantibodies / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Cattle
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / blood
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Cognitive Dysfunction / immunology
  • Dementia / blood
  • Dementia / cerebrospinal fluid
  • Dementia / immunology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phosphoproteins / chemistry
  • Phosphoproteins / immunology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sex Characteristics*
  • Species Specificity
  • tau Proteins / chemistry
  • tau Proteins / immunology*

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • MAPT protein, human
  • Phosphoproteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • tau Proteins