Protein microarrays identify disease-specific anti-cytokine autoantibody profiles in the landscape of immunodeficiency

Abstract

Background: Anti-cytokine autoantibodies (ACAAs) are pathogenic in a handful of rare immunodeficiencies. However, the prevalence and significance of other ACAAs across immunodeficiencies have not yet been described.

Objective: We profiled ACAAs in a diverse cohort of serum samples from patients with immunodeficiency and assessed the sensitivity and specificity of protein microarrays for ACAA identification and discovery.

Methods: Highly multiplexed protein microarrays were designed and fabricated. Blinded serum samples from a cohort of 58 immunodeficiency patients and healthy control subjects were used to probe microarrays. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was used to identify clusters of reactivity, and after unblinding, significance analysis of microarrays was used to identify disease-specific autoantibodies. A bead-based assay was used to validate protein microarray results. Blocking activity of serum containing ACAAs was measured in vitro.

Results: Protein microarrays were highly sensitive and specific for the detection of ACAAs in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, detecting ACAA levels consistent with those reported in the published literature. Protein microarray results were validated by using an independent bead-based assay. To confirm the functional significance of these ACAAs, we tested and confirmed the blocking activity of select ACAAs in vitro.

Conclusion: Protein microarrays are a powerful tool for ACAA detection and discovery, and they hold promise as a diagnostic for the evaluation and monitoring of clinical immunodeficiency.

Keywords: Anti-cytokine autoantibodies; autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type I; immunodeficiency; protein microarray; pulmonary alveolar proteinosis; thymoma.