Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antibodies against lens protein found in dogs
By Denis, Heidi M et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2003·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Detection of anti-lens crystallin antibody in dogs with and without cataracts.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with cataracts had different levels of a specific antibody (anti-lens crystallin) in their blood compared to normal dogs. The researchers looked at dogs with various stages of cataracts and found that the presence of this antibody decreased as the cataracts became more mature. Interestingly, the study also noted that dogs with less severe cataracts had higher antibody levels, which seemed to relate to the severity of any accompanying eye inflammation (uveitis). This suggests that the immune response in dogs with cataracts may change as the condition progresses.
People also search for: dog cataracts symptoms · anti-lens crystallin antibodies in dogs · dog eye inflammation treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine if antilens crystallin (ALC) serum and aqueous humor antibodies were present in normal dogs and dogs with cataracts, whether antibody incidence varied with stage of cataract, and whether antibody titer had a relationship to the presence of lens-induced uveitis. METHODS: Serum and aqueous humor samples were obtained from normal dogs and dogs with cataracts. Lens crystallin was separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and antilens crystallin antibodies were detected by Western immunoblot analysis. An indirect ELISA using crystallin protein as antigen was also used to detect antilens crystallin antibodies in serum and aqueous humor. Test groups included normal, incipient, immature, mature, hypermature and diabetic cataract. RESULTS: SDS-PAGE identified bands with molecular weights of lens crystallin subunits. Western immunoblotting demonstrated reaction between canine serum and these protein bands. The five canine serum samples that reacted with crystallin subunits on Western blots had corresponding reactivity on the ELISA. All aqueous humor samples (30) were negative. Serum ALC antibodies were detected in 59.3% (16/27) of controls, 66.7% (16/24) of incipients, 50.0% (10/20) of immatures, 37.9% (11/29) of matures, 28.6% (6/21) of hypermatures, and 26.7% (4/15) of diabetics. Serum ALC antibodies were detected in 43.1% (47/109) of all cataract samples. There was a statistically significant negative association between the presence (P = 0.004) and maturity (P = 0.004) of cataract and presence of ALC serum antibodies. In the immature and hypermature cataract groups, there was a statistically significant negative association between ALC serum antibody titer and severity of uveitis (95% confidence interval). CONCLUSIONS: There is a negative association between the presence (P = 0.004) and maturity (P = 0.004) of cataract and presence of ALC serum antibodies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14641830/