CROSS-REACTING IDIOTYPES ON ANTIINSULIN AUTOANTIBODIES IN AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASES, IDENTIFIED BY MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

Investigations on the specific idiotypes of autoantibodies are suppose d to help with the understanding of the control mechanisms participati ng in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, This study describes th ree monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) that recognize distinct idiotypic det erminants on anti-insulin autoantibodies. The preabsorption by IAA-pos itive sera of insulin inhibits their subsequent binding to the anti-Id , thus suggesting that the Mabs recognize epitopes located at or near the binding site of insulin autoantibodies (IAA), These idiotypes are detected in sera from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitu s (IDDM), which are IAA-negative, also. It is possible that the expres sion of the idiotypes recognized might generally be associated with in duction of autoantibodies, since they were found in sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), an d cataract (K). It call be assumed that the corresponding idiotypes of these Mabs, or similar structures (sequential or conformational), are expressed on autoantibodies with various antigen-binding specificitie s. These data suggest that some autoimmune diseases are preceded by th e secretion of autoantibodies which express a common or similar pathol ogical idiotype, (C) 1998 Academic Press.