Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34024774›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuromuscular diseases2021

Profiling Serum Antibodies Against Muscle Antigens in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy Finds No Disease-Specific Autoantibodies.

Anna Greco, Kirsten R Straasheijm, Karlien Mul, Anita van den Heuvel, Silvère M van der Maarel, Leo A B Joosten, Baziel G M van Engelen, Ger J M Pruijn

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neuromuscular diseases, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 39% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Anna GrecoDepartment of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Kirsten R StraasheijmDepartment of Biomolecular Chemistry, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Karlien MulDepartment of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Anita van den HeuvelDepartment of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Silvère M van der MaarelDepartment of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Leo A B JoostenDepartment of Internal Medicine and Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Baziel G M van EngelenDepartment of Neurology, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Ger J M PruijnDepartment of Biomolecular Chemistry, Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Leiden University Medical Center · NLRadboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences · NLRadboud University Medical Center · NLRadboud University Nijmegen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFSHD is caused by specific genetic mutations resulting in activation of the Double Homeobox 4 gene (DUX4). DUX4 targets hundreds of downstream genes eventually leading to muscle atrophy, oxidative stress, abnormal myogenesis, and muscle inflammation. We hypothesized that DUX4-induced aberrant expression of genes triggers a sustained autoimmune response against skeletal muscle cells.

objectiveThis study aimed at the identification of autoantibodies directed against muscle antigens in FSHD. Moreover, a possible relationship between serum antibody reactivity and DUX4 expression was also investigated.

methodsFSHD sera (N = 138, 48±16 years, 48% male) and healthy control sera (N = 20, 47±14 years, 50% male) were analyzed by immunoblotting for antibodies against several skeletal muscle protein extracts: healthy muscle, FSHD muscle, healthy and FSHD myotubes, and inducible DUX4 expressing myoblasts. In addition, DUX4 expressing myoblasts were analyzed by immunofluorescence with FSHD and healthy control sera.

resultsThe results showed that the reactivity of FSHD sera did not significantly differ from that of healthy controls, with all the tested muscle antigen extracts. Besides, the immunofluorescent staining of DUX4-expressing myoblasts was not different when incubated with either FSHD or healthy control sera.

conclusionSince the methodology used did not lead to the identification of disease-specific autoantibodies in the FSHD cohort, we suggest that autoantibody-mediated pathology may not be an important disease mechanism in FSHD. Nevertheless, it is crucial to further unravel if and which role the immune system plays in FSHD pathogenesis. Other innate as well as adaptive immune players could be involved in the complex DUX4 cascade of events and could become appealing druggable targets.

Indexed as

AdultAutoantibodiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMuscle Fibers, SkeletalMuscle ProteinsMuscle, SkeletalMuscular AtrophyMuscular Dystrophy, FacioscapulohumeralMyoblastsAutoantibodiesMuscle ProteinsautoantibodiesFacioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophyinflammationskeletal muscle antigens

Identifiers

PMID34024774
PMCPMC9789485
OpenAlexW3161597124

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.