J. Honnorat et al., Ulip/CRMP proteins are recognized by autoantibodies in paraneoplastic neurological syndromes, EUR J NEURO, 11(12), 1999, pp. 4226-4232
Anti-CV2 autoantibodies have recently been discovered in patients with para
neoplastic neurological diseases (PND). These disorders are associated with
neuronal degeneration, mediated by autoimmune processes, in patients with
systemic cancer. Anti-CV2 autoantibodies recognize a brain protein of 66 kD
a developmentally regulated and specifically expressed by a subpopulation o
f oligodendrocytes in the adult brain. Here, we demonstrate that anti-CV2 s
era recognize several post-translationally modified forms of Ulip4/CRMP3, a
member of a protein family related to the axonal guidance and homologous t
o the Unc-33 gene product in Caenorhabditis elegans. The sequence of the hu
man Ulip4/CRMP3 was determined and the gene localized to chromosome 10q25.2
-q26, a region mutated in glioblastomas and containing tumour suppressor ge
nes. The identification of the Ulip/CRMP proteins as recognized by anti-CV2
sera should provide new insights into the role of Ulip/CRMPs in oligodendr
ocytes and into pathophysiology of PND.