This study is designed to establish whether sialosylneolactotetraosylceramide (LM1), a major component of human peripheral nerve
ganglioside, is a potential target
antigen for the development of peripheral autoimmune neuropathies such as
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and
Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS). Serum
antibodies against LM1 in 116 patients with GBS, 56 patients with MFS, 88 patients with
motor neuron disease (MND) and 60 normal control subjects were quantified using
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The presence of anti-LM1
antibodies were confirmed using an immunostaining method on high-performance thin-layer chromatographic plates (HPTLC). Anti-LM1
IgG antibodies were detected in 22% (25/116) of patients with GBS. The ratio of the
demyelination type to the axonal type of GBS was approximately 3:1. Among the 25 anti-LM1-positive GBS patients, additional anti-GM1
IgG antibodies were detected in 7 patients, 4 of whom possessed the axonal form of GBS. Anti-LM1
antibodies were also detected in a significant portion of patients with MFS (20%, 11/56). In contrast, anti-LM1
antibodies were detected in only 2% (2/88) of patients with MND, and 7% (4/60) of normal control subjects. The results of this study suggest that serum
antibodies against LM1 may have a pathogenic role in the development of GBS and MFS.