Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0022568 (keratitis)
 5,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Many studies have described the presence of circulating antibodies against corneal components in patients with corneal disease or uveitis, and in patients with skin or systemic disease with or without ocular involvement. The role of such antibodies in the underlying immunopathological process remains obscure. Here we describe the induction of autoantibodies against the rat cornea. Our attempts to induce corneal autoantibodies by various forms of keratitis and corneal trauma failed. However, circulating corneal autoantibodies could be detected by Western blotting after immunization of BN rats and Lewis rats with bovine corneal protein 54 (BCP 54). Rats immunized with rat corneal extracts (RaCE) or human serum albumin (HSA) as (auto) antigen did not develop corneal autoantibodies. During the study period (greater than 4 months), it was observed that the presence of circulating corneal autoantibodies did not elicit corneal inflammation. Severe keratitis did develop when BCP 54-immunized rats were challenged intracorneally with BCP 54, but the clinical signs were not significantly different from HSA-immunized rats after an intracorneal HSA challenge. Injection of corneal autoantibodies into the corneal stroma did not provoke keratitis. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study demonstrating corneal autoantibodies in rats without actual manipulation of the eye. This model may provide further insights in the role and significance of corneal autoantibodies in disease.
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PMID:Induction of autoantibodies to rat corneal protein 54. 156 95

T cell mediated immune responses against the cornea specific protein BCP 54 have been observed in patients with uveitis, Fuchs' heterochromic cyclitis, and corneal disease. The pathophysiological role of this anti-BCP 54 response in corneal disease is not known. In order to ascertain whether the presence of such an immune response is related to the corneal disease itself or related to genetic influences, the anti-BCP 54 response was determined in 104 patients with severe corneal disease, using a monocyte migration inhibition assay. The results were compared with the presence of a variety of ocular parameters as well as with the distribution of HLA antigens in these patients. While only 7% of healthy controls responded to BCP 54, 37% of the patients showed a positive response (p = 0.002); in particular, patients with previous graft rejection, non-herpetic keratitis, and bullous keratopathy reacted against BCP 54. No relation with known risk factors for corneal transplantation, such as corneal neovascularisation, was observed. No significant association with the presence of any of the HLA antigens was observed. It was concluded that the main inducer of an anti-BCP 54 response is corneal disease itself, and that the presence of corneal disease is able to break the immunological privilege typical of normal corneas.
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PMID:Genetic and clinical determinants for the T cell mediated immune response against the cornea specific protein BCP 54. 819 18