Multiple autoimmunity and epitope spreading in monozygotic twins

Esperanza Avalos-Díaz; Elena Pérez-Pérez; Julio Granados; Deyanira Pacheco-Tovar; Juan-José Bollain-Y-Goytia-de-la-Rosa; Rafael Herrera-Esparza

doi:10.1016/j.jtauto.2021.100132

Multiple autoimmunity and epitope spreading in monozygotic twins

J Transl Autoimmun. 2021 Nov 6:4:100132. doi: 10.1016/j.jtauto.2021.100132. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Esperanza Avalos-Díaz¹, Elena Pérez-Pérez¹, Julio Granados², Deyanira Pacheco-Tovar¹, Juan-José Bollain-Y-Goytia-de-la-Rosa¹, Rafael Herrera-Esparza¹

Affiliations

¹ Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Department of Immunology, UACB. Guadalupe, Zac, Mexico.
² Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Department of Transplantation, Mexico City, Mexico.

Abstract

We report clinical, serologic, and immunogenetic studies of a set of monozygotic male twin patients who develop autoimmune thyroiditis and vitiligo associated with the HLA-DRB1*04-DQB1*03:02 and HLA-DRB1*03-DQB1*0201 haplotypes. The patients had detectable anti-thyroid and anti-melanocyte autoantibodies. A critical review is presented regarding the role of MHC II molecules linked to clinical manifestations of various autoimmune diseases displayed in a single patient, as is the case in the twin patients reported here.

Keywords: AMA, anti-mitochondrial antibodies; ANA, antinuclear antibodies; ANCA, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; ASMA, anti-smooth muscle antibodies; Anti-CCP, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies; Anti-GBM, anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmunity; BP, bullous pemphigoid; Dsg, desmoglein; Epitope spreading; FITC, fluorescein isothiocyanate; HLA, Human Leucocyte Antigen; HRP, horseradish peroxidase; IgG, immunoglobulin G; MHC, major histocompatibility complex; Multiple autoimmunity; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; SSP, sequence specific priming; TMB, tetramethylbenzidine/H2O2; Thyroiditis; Vitiligo.