Comparative neuronal uptake and cytotoxicity of anti-Hu and anti-Ri antibodies in rat cerebellar and hippocampal slice cultures

Abstract

Background: Anti-Hu and anti-Ri are paraneoplastic autoantibodies recognizing intracellular antigens present in essentially all neurons. At autopsy, brains of patients with anti-Hu antibody show neuronal destruction. In contrast, anti-Ri antibody is less clearly associated with neuronal death, and patients with anti-Ri antibodies may respond to treatment. We have demonstrated that anti-Yo antibodies, associated with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, accumulate intracellularly in cerebellar Purkinje cells in slice cultures of rat cerebellum and that antibody accumulation is followed by cell death.