Published in

The Company of Biologists, Disease Models and Mechanisms, 2017

DOI: 10.1242/dmm.029835

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RhoB blockade selectively inhibits autoantibody production in autoimmune models of rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

During the development of autoimmune disease, a switch occurs in the antibody repertoire of B cells favoring the production of pathogenic versus non-pathogenic autoantibodies. However, there is limited knowledge concerning how this pivotal step occurs. Here we present genetic and pharmacological evidence of a positive modifier function for the vesicular small GTPase RhoB in specifically mediating the generation of pathogenic autoantibodies and disease progression in the K/BxN preclinical model of inflammatory arthritis. Genetic deletion of RhoB abolished the production of pathogenic autoantibodies and ablated joint inflammation in the model. In like manner, administration of a novel RhoB-targeted monoclonal antibody was sufficient to ablate autoantibody production and joint inflammation. In the MRL/lpr mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), another established preclinical model of autoimmune disease associated with autoantibody production, administration of the anti-RhoB antibody also reduced serum levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies. Notably, the therapeutic effects of RhoB blockade reflected a selective deficiency in response to self antigens, insofar as RhoB-deficient mice and mice treated with anti-RhoB Ig both mounted comparable productive antibody responses after immunization with a model foreign antigen. Overall, our results highlight a novel function for RhoB in supporting the specific production of pathogenic autoantibodies, and offer a preclinical proof of concept for use of anti-RhoB Ig as a disease-selective therapy to treat autoimmune disorders driven by pathogenic autoantibodies.