Novel Insights into the Role of Autoantibodies in Diseases—Volume II

Dear Colleagues,

The detection of autoantibodies (aAbs) in blood is considered to be the result of a pathological breakdown in self-tolerance. The fact that autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren’s syndrome, and systemic lupus erythematosis, among others, are initiated or exacerbated by aAbs against specific cellular and tissue components further supports this notion.

However, about three decades ago, the discovery of natural IgM (or IgA) antibodies against self-antigens challenged the association between autoantibodies and diseases. These autoantibodies are produced by B-1 cells and show reactivity profiles remarkably conserved between individuals as well as highly conserved throughout evolution. As IgM autoantibodies bind to common apoptotic neo-antigens and markers of cell senescence, it was hypothesized that the function of natural IgM (or IgA) autoantibodies is to assist in the clean-up of apoptotic cellular debris and the maintenance of tissue homeostasis.

In addition, all human sera—as well as those of other mammals—contain hundreds or thousands of autoreactive IgGs. Although their total number is influenced by gender, age, or the presence of specific diseases, the unique profiles of autoantibodies are relatively stable over time in an individual. Furthermore, novel lines of research have shown important roles of autoantibodies in other diseases, such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological syndromes.

Therefore, autoantibodies constitute markers of disease as well as purposeful products of the immune system, and, as such, this research field represents a renewed frontier in immunological research. It is time to describe what we know about how autoantibodies function, how they are generated and regulated, and what makes the difference between a pathological and a non-pathological autoantibody.

Prof. Dr. Oscar J. Cordero
Guest Editor

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• B cells
• autoantibodies
• peripheral blood
• biomarkers
• autoimmune diseases

• Novel Insights into the Role of Autoantibodies in Diseases in Biomolecules (5 articles)