Congenital heart disease linked to maternal autoimmunity against cardiac myosin

J Immunol. 2014 May 1;192(9):4074-82. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1301264. Epub 2014 Mar 26.

Abstract

Structural congenital heart disease (CHD) has not previously been linked to autoimmunity. In our study, we developed an autoimmune model of structural CHD that resembles hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a life-threatening CHD primarily affecting the left ventricle. Because cardiac myosin (CM) is a dominant autoantigen in autoimmune heart disease, we hypothesized that immunization with CM might lead to transplacental passage of maternal autoantibodies and a prenatal HLHS phenotype in exposed fetuses. Elevated anti-CM autoantibodies in maternal and fetal sera, as well as IgG reactivity in fetal myocardium, were correlated with structural CHD that included diminished left ventricular cavity dimensions in the affected progeny. Further, fetuses that developed a marked HLHS phenotype had elevated serum titers of anti-β-adrenergic receptor Abs, as well as increased protein kinase A activity, suggesting a potential mechanism for the observed pathological changes. Our maternal-fetal model presents a new concept linking autoimmunity against CM and cardiomyocyte proliferation with cardinal features of HLHS. To our knowledge, this report shows the first evidence in support of a novel immune-mediated mechanism for pathogenesis of structural CHD that may have implications in its future diagnosis and treatment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoantibodies / immunology
  • Autoimmunity / immunology*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cardiac Myosins / immunology*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / immunology
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / pathology
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome / immunology*
  • Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome / pathology
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Rats
  • Rats, Inbred Lew

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Cardiac Myosins