Anti-MYC-associated zinc finger protein antibodies are associated with inflammatory atherosclerotic lesions on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

Diana Ernst, Desiree Weiberg, Niklas T Baerlecken, Wolfgang Schlumberger, Cornelia Daehnrich, Reinhold E Schmidt, Frank M Bengel, Thorsten Derlin, Torsten Witte

Atherosclerosis 2017 Apr

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Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory process of vessel walls responsible for coronary, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular disease, which together account for the majority of non-infective global deaths. Whilst great emphasis has been placed on lifestyle factors, a growing body of evidence supports an autoimmune component to atherosclerosis. This study evaluates a novel autoantibody against MYC-associated zinc finger protein (MAZ-Ab) as a potential marker of atherosclerosis. It compares MAZ-Ab to activity on whole-body positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) attributable to atherosclerosis. Antibody screening using protein arrays was performed in patients with angiographically-proven ischaemic heart disease. Following MAZ-Ab detection, an ELISA for large-scale testing was developed. An a priori group of unselected patients attending for unrelated 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT was prospectively enrolled. Each completed a structured questionnaire under supervision and provided serum for analysis. PET/CT scans were evaluated for inflammatory arterial lesions. Whole-body arterial inflammatory burden was then correlated with ELISA optical density for MAZ-Ab. Protein array testing identified IgG anti-MAZ antibodies in 4/6 (67%) patients with ischemic heart disease, versus 0/10 controls. Significant positive correlations between MAZ-Ab and both increasing number of PET positive inflammatory atherosclerostic lesions (p = 0.023) and whole-body arterial inflammatory burden (p = 0.002) were shown. No traditional atherosclerotic risk factor correlated with MAZ-Ab. A quantitative association between MAZ-Ab optical density on ELISA and the cumulative inflammatory burden of atherosclerosis on 18F-FDG PET/CT could be shown. These findings provide further evidence for an autoimmune component in atherosclerosis and suggest MAZ-Abs as a potential biomarker for atherosclerotic disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Diana Ernst, Desiree Weiberg, Niklas T Baerlecken, Wolfgang Schlumberger, Cornelia Daehnrich, Reinhold E Schmidt, Frank M Bengel, Thorsten Derlin, Torsten Witte. Anti-MYC-associated zinc finger protein antibodies are associated with inflammatory atherosclerotic lesions on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Atherosclerosis. 2017 Apr;259:12-19