Publications

Astrocytic stress response is induced by exposure to astrocyte-binding antibodies expressed by plasmablasts from pediatric patients with acute transverse myelitis

Smith C, Telesford KM, Piccirillo SGM, Licon-Munoz Y, Zhang W, Tse KM, Rivas JR, Joshi C, Shah DS, Wu AX, Trivedi R, Christley S, Qian Y, Cowell LG, Scheuermann RH, Stowe AM, Nguyen L, Greenberg BM, Monson NL

PMID: 38915059

Abstract

Pediatric acute transverse myelitis (ATM) accounts for 20-30% of children presenting with a first acquired demyelinating syndrome (ADS) and may be the first clinical presentation of a relapsing ADS such as multiple sclerosis (MS). B cells have been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of adult MS. However, little is known about B cells in pediatric MS, and even less so in pediatric ATM. Our lab previously showed that plasmablasts (PB), the earliest B cell subtype producing antibody, are expanded in adult ATM, and that these PBs produce self-reactive antibodies that target neurons. The goal of this study was to examine PB frequency and phenotype, immunoglobulin selection, and B cell receptor reactivity in pediatric patients presenting with ATM to gain insight to B cell involvement in disease.