@article{StengelVuralBrunderetal.2019,
  author    = {Stengel, Helena and Vural, Atay and Brunder, Anna-Michelle and Heinius, Annika and Appeltshauser, Luise and Fiebig, Bianca and Giese, Florian and Dresel, Christian and Papagianni, Aikaterini and Birklein, Frank and Weis, Joachim and Huchtemann, Tessa and Schmidt, Christian and K{\"o}rtvelyessy, Peter and Villmann, Carmen and Meinl, Edgar and Sommer, Claudia and Leypoldt, Frank and Doppler, Kathrin},
  title     = {Anti-pan-neurofascin IgG3 as a marker of fulminant autoimmune neuropathy},
  series = {Neurology: Neuroimmunology \& Neuroinflammation},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Neurology: Neuroimmunology \& Neuroinflammation},
  number    = {5},
  doi       = {10.1212/NXI.0000000000000603},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-202462},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Objective To identify and characterize patients with autoantibodies against different neurofascin (NF) isoforms. Methods Screening of a large cohort of patient sera for anti-NF autoantibodies by ELISA and further characterization by cell-based assays, epitope mapping, and complement binding assays. Results Two different clinical phenotypes became apparent in this study: The well-known clinical picture of subacute-onset severe sensorimotor neuropathy with tremor that is known to be associated with IgG4 autoantibodies against the paranodal isoform NF-155 was found in 2 patients. The second phenotype with a dramatic course of disease with tetraplegia and almost locked-in syndrome was associated with IgG3 autoantibodies against nodal and paranodal isoforms of NF in 3 patients. The epitope against which these autoantibodies were directed in this second phenotype was the common Ig domain found in all 3 NF isoforms. In contrast, anti-NF-155 IgG4 were directed against the NF-155-specific Fn3Fn4 domain. The description of a second phenotype of anti-NF-associated neuropathy is in line with some case reports of similar patients that were published in the last year. Conclusions Our results indicate that anti-pan-NF-associated neuropathy differs from anti-NF-155-associated neuropathy, and epitope and subclass play a major role in the pathogenesis and severity of anti-NF-associated neuropathy and should be determined to correctly classify patients, also in respect to possible differences in therapeutic response.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{VuralDopplerMeinl2018,
  author    = {Vural, Atay and Doppler, Kathrin and Meinl, Edgar},
  title     = {Autoantibodies Against the Node of Ranvier in Seropositive Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy: Diagnostic, Pathogenic, and Therapeutic Relevance},
  series = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Immunology},
  doi       = {10.3389/fimmu.2018.01029},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233279},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Discovery of disease-associated autoantibodies has transformed the clinical management of a variety of neurological disorders. Detection of autoantibodies aids diagnosis and allows patient stratification resulting in treatment optimization. In the last years, a set of autoantibodies against proteins located at the node of Ranvier has been identified in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). These antibodies target neurofascin, contactin1, or contactin-associated protein 1, and we propose to name CIDP patients with these antibodies collectively as seropositive. They have unique clinical characteristics that differ from seronegative CIDP. Moreover, there is compelling evidence that autoantibodies are relevant for the pathogenesis. In this article, we review the current knowledge on the characteristics of autoantibodies against the node of Ranvier proteins and their clinical relevance in CIDP. We start with a description of the structure of the node of Ranvier followed by a summary of assays used to identify seropositive patients; and then, we describe clinical features and characteristics linked to seropositivity. We review knowledge on the role of these autoantibodies for the pathogenesis with relevance for the emerging concept of nodopathy/paranodopathy and summarize the treatment implications.},
  language  = {en}
}