Serum levels of complement C4 fragments correlate with disease activity in multiple sclerosis: Proteomic analysis

Sawai, Setsu; Umemura, Hiroshi; Mori, Masahiro; Satoh, Mamoru; Hayakawa, Sei; Kodera, Yoshio; Tomonaga, Takeshi; Kuwabara, Satoshi; Nomura, Fumio

doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2009.10.019

« Previous Next »Journal of Neuroimmunology
Volume 218, Issue 1 , Pages 112-115, 25 January 2010

Serum levels of complement C4 fragments correlate with disease activity in multiple sclerosis: Proteomic analysis

Setsu Sawai
- Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 43 222 7171x5450; fax: +81 43 226 2169.
Hiroshi Umemura
- Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
Masahiro Mori
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Mamoru Satoh
- Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
Sei Hayakawa
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Yoshio Kodera
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Kitasato University, Kanagawa, Japan
Takeshi Tomonaga
- Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan
Satoshi Kuwabara
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan
Fumio Nomura
- Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan

Received 3 July 2009; received in revised form 22 October 2009; accepted 23 October 2009. published online 18 November 2009.

Abstract

To detect serum biomarkers associated with disease activity in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS). We studied serum low-molecular peptide profiling of MS patients and normal controls comprehensively by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Serum level of 1741Da peptide was increased at the time of clinical relapse in patients than in normal controls and returned toward normal during remission. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the peptide was a fragment of complement C4 (NGFKSHALQLNNRQI). This fragment peptide could be a possible marker of disease activity. It may reflect complement activation in the pathogenesis of MS.