MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF ANTI-GM(1) AND ANTI-GQ(1B) GANGLIOSIDE ANTIBODIES IN GUILLAIN-BARRE-SYNDROME

Anti-GM(1) and anti-GP(1b) ganglioside antibodies are found in associa tion with acute and chronic peripheral neuropathies, including Guillai n-Barre syndrome. They are believed to arise as a result of molecular mimicry with immunogenic microbial polysaccharides. Although anti-gang lioside antibodies are suspected to play a causal role in neuropathy p athogenesis, the details of this have yet to be proven. The approach i n this laboratory to solving this issue has been to generate anti-GM(1 ) and anti-GQ(1b) monoclonal antibodies from peripheral blood lymphocy tes of affected patients and to study their immunolocalization in peri pheral nerve and their electrophysiologic effects in animal models in which peripheral nerve sites are exposed to anti-ganglioside antibodie s. These data show that anti-ganglioside antibody-reactive epitopes ar e widely distributed in peripheral nerve and can cause electrophysiolo gic abnormalities in a variety of model systems; thus, these data supp ort the view that anti-ganglioside antibody-reactive epitopes may dire ctly contribute to neuropathy pathogenesis.