Autoimmune myocarditis induced in mice by cardiac C-protein. Cloning of complementary DNA encoding murine cardiac C-protein and partial characterization of the antigenic peptides

J Clin Invest. 1994 Sep;94(3):1026-36. doi: 10.1172/JCI117416.

Abstract

Autoimmune myocarditis is considered to play a major role in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy. A new autoimmune myocarditis model was attained by repeated immunization using murine cardiac C-protein with the immunological adjuvant, Klebsiella pneumoniae O3 lipopolysaccharide. For further analysis of a pathological epitope, the cDNA encoding C-protein was isolated; a fusion protein encoded by part of this cDNA induced myocarditis in SMA mice as well as in three other strains: DBA/1J (H-2q), O20/A (H-2pz1), and SJL (H-2s). The nucleotide sequence and its deduced amino acid analysis revealed that this protein had immunoglobulin-like and fibronectin-like repeats. This study provides a new animal model of autoimmune myocarditis which may shed light on the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Autoimmune Diseases / chemically induced
  • Autoimmune Diseases / pathology*
  • Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / blood
  • Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / immunology*
  • Carrier Proteins
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • DNA, Complementary / metabolism
  • Female
  • Heart / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae
  • Lipopolysaccharides / administration & dosage
  • Lipopolysaccharides / toxicity*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred DBA
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • Middle Aged
  • Muscle Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Muscle Proteins / toxicity*
  • Myocarditis / chemically induced
  • Myocarditis / immunology*
  • Myocarditis / pathology*
  • Myocardium / pathology*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / toxicity
  • Reference Values
  • Restriction Mapping
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Carrier Proteins
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Muscle Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • myosin-binding protein C