Peptide analogs to pathogenic epitopes of the human acetylcholine receptor alpha subunit as potential modulators of myasthenia gravis

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996 Apr 30;93(9):4492-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.9.4492.

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease in which T cells specific to epitopes of the autoantigen, the human acetylcholine receptor, play a role. We identified two peptides, p195-212 and p259-271, from the alpha subunit of the receptor, which bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules on antigen-presenting cells (APCs) from peripheral blood lymphocytes of myasthenia gravis patients and stimulated lymphocytes of >80% of the patients. We have prepared analogs of these myasthenogenic peptides and tested their ability to bind to MHC class II determinants and to interfere specifically with T-cell stimulation. We first determined relative binding efficiency of the myasthenogenic peptides and their analogs to APCs of patients. We found that single substituted analogs of p195-212 (Ala-207) and p259-271 (Lys-262) could bind to human MHC molecules on APCs as efficiently as the original peptides. Moreover, dual analogs containing the two single substituted analogs in one stretch (either sequentially, Ala-207/Lys-262, or reciprocally, Lys-262/Ala-207) could also bind to APCs of patients, including those that failed to bind one of the single substituted analogs. The single substituted analogs significantly inhibited T-cell stimulation induced by their respective myasthenogenic peptides in >95% of the patients. The dual analogs were capable of inhibiting stimulation induced by either of the peptides: They inhibited the response to p195-212 and p259-271 in >95% and >90% of the patients, respectively. Thus, the dual analogs are good candidates for inhibition of T-cell responses of myasthenia gravis patients and might have therapeutic potential.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology
  • Binding Sites
  • Epitopes / chemistry
  • Epitopes / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-2 / biosynthesis
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Myasthenia Gravis / immunology
  • Myasthenia Gravis / therapy*
  • Peptides / chemical synthesis
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Peptides / therapeutic use*
  • Receptors, Cholinergic / chemistry
  • Receptors, Cholinergic / immunology*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship

Substances

  • Epitopes
  • Interleukin-2
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Peptides
  • Receptors, Cholinergic