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<art>
   <ui>ar644</ui>
   <ji>ARJ</ji>
   <fm>
      <dochead>Meeting abstract</dochead>
      <bibl>
         <title>
            <p>The infectious origin of the antiphospholipid syndrome: induction by passive transfer of anti-&#946;2GPI antibodies induced by common bacteria</p>
         </title>
         <aug>
            <au id="A1">
               <snm>Blank</snm>
               <fnm>M</fnm>
            </au>
            <au id="A2">
               <snm>Krause</snm>
               <fnm>I</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A3">
               <snm>Fridkin</snm>
               <fnm>M</fnm>
               <insr iid="I2"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A4">
               <snm>Keller</snm>
               <fnm>N</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A5">
               <snm>Kopolovic</snm>
               <fnm>J</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A6">
               <snm>Goldberg</snm>
               <fnm>I</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A7">
               <snm>Tobar</snm>
               <fnm>A</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
            <au id="A8">
               <snm>Shoenfeld</snm>
               <fnm>Y</fnm>
               <insr iid="I1"/>
            </au>
         </aug>
         <insg>
            <ins id="I1">
               <p>Center for of Autoimmune Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine 'B', The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel</p>
            </ins>
            <ins id="I2">
               <p>Department of Organic Chemistry, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel</p>
            </ins>
         </insg>
         <source>Arthritis Res Ther</source>
         <supplement>
            <title>
               <p>23rd European Workshop for Rheumatology Research</p>
            </title>
            <sponsor>
               <note>The organizer would like to thank the following companies who have generously supported the 23rd European Workshop for Rheumatology Research: Abbott, Amgen, Aventis, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, Pharmacia, Schering-Plough, Wyeth</note>
            </sponsor>
            <note>Meeting abstracts</note>
         </supplement>
         <conference>
            <title>
               <p>23rd European Workshop for Rheumatology Research</p>
            </title>
            <location>Marseille, France</location>
            <date-range>27 February &#8211; 2 March 2003</date-range>
         </conference>
         <issn>1478-6354</issn>
         <pubdate>2003</pubdate>
         <volume>5</volume>
         <issue>Suppl 1</issue>
         <fpage>14</fpage>
         <xrefbib>
            <pubid idtype="doi">10.1186/ar644</pubid>
         </xrefbib>
      </bibl>
      <history>
         <pub>
            <date>
               <day>24</day>
               <month>2</month>
               <year>2003</year>
            </date>
         </pub>
      </history>
   </fm>
   <bdy>
      <sec>
         <st>
            <p/>
         </st>
         <p>The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by the presence of pathogenic autoantibodies against &#946;<sub>2</sub>-glycoprotein I (&#946;<sub>2</sub>GPI). The factors causing production of anti-&#946;2GPI remain unidentified, but an association with infectious agents has been reported. We recently identified a hexapeptide (TLRVYK) that is recognized specifically by a pathogenic anti-&#946;<sub>2</sub>GPI monoclonal antibody. In the present study we evaluated the APS-related pathogenic potential of microbial pathogens, which share structural homology with the this hexapeptide. Mice were immunized with a panel of TLRVYK-related microbial particles and were studied for the development of mouse anti-&#946;2GPI autoantibodies. Mouse IgG specific to the TLRVYK peptide were affinity purified from the immunized mice and passively infused i.v. into naive mice at day 0 of pregnancy. APS parameters were evaluated in the infused mice on day 15 of pregnancy. Following immunization, high titers of anti-peptide, anti-&#946;<sub>2</sub>GPI antibodies were observed in mice immunized with <it>Haemophilus influenzae</it>, <it>Neisseria gonorrhoeae</it> or tetanus toxoid. Naive mice infused with the affinity-purified anti-peptide antibodies had a significant thrombocytopenia, prolonged aPTT and elevated percentage of fetal loss, similar to the findings in a control group of mice immunized with a pathogenic anti-&#946;2GPI monoclonal antibody. Our study establishes a mechanism of molecular mimicry in experimental APS, demonstrating that bacteria homologous with &#946;2GPI structure are able to induce the generation of pathogenic anti-&#946;2GPI antibodies along with APS manifestations.</p>
      </sec>
   </bdy>
</art>
