Elucidation of the mechanism of cryoglobulin formation in hepatitis C

Research Project

Project/Area Number	15K08984
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Gastroenterology
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	Yotsuyanagi Hiroshi 東京大学, 医科学研究所, 教授 (30251234)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	堤武也東京大学, 医科学研究所, 准教授 (00726739)
Project Period (FY)	2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,810,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,110,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000) Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000) Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
Keywords	クリオグロブリン / 自己抗原 / 自己抗体 / C型肝炎 / single-domain antibody / 免疫グロブリン重鎖
Outline of Final Research Achievements	The component of cryoglobulin was determined in a patient with chronic hepatitis C who underwent antiviral treatment and cleared HCV RNA. Three types of antibodies concentrated in the cryoprecipitate were identified by comparing antibody profiles purified from cryoprecipitate and serum. Two of the three antibodies were autoantibodies and had cross-reactivity with HCV. Several human proteins including PAFAH1B3 were found as candidates for autoantigens. Total RNA extracted from peripheral blood specimens showed a patient-specific antibody sequence repertoire.