Anti-Ro/SSA Antibodies Blocking Calcium Channels as a Potentially Reversible Cause of Atrioventricular Block in Adults

• DOI: 10.1016/j.jacep.2023.03.007
• Publication Date: 2023-05-24T18:45:24Z
• Authors: Pietro Enea Lazze...; Vamsi Krishna Mur...; Ujala Srivastava; Iacopo Bertolozzi; Maria Romana Baca...; Decoroso Verrengia; Viola Salvini; Riccardo Accioli; Salvatore Frances...; Amato Santoro; Alessandra Cartocci; Gabriele Cevenini; Silvia Cantara; Anna Cantore; Stefania Bisogno; Antonio Brucato; Franco Laghi-Pasini; Maurizio Acampa; Pier Leopoldo Cap...; Mohamed Boutjdir
• Keywords: idiopathic atrioventricular block in adult; Adult; anti-Ro/SSA antibodies; autoimmunity; idiopathic atrioventricular block in adults; L-type calcium channels; steroid therapy; autoimmunity; 610; 3. Good health; L-type calcium channels; anti-Ro/SSA antibodies; autoimmunity; idiopathic atrioventricular block in adults; steroid therapy;; Cross-Sectional Studies; HEK293 Cells; Immunoglobulin G; anti-Ro/SSA antibodie; Humans; Steroids; steroid therapy; Calcium Channels; Atrioventricular Block; L-type calcium channel

In ∼50% of severe atrioventricular blocks (AVBs) occurring in adults <50 years, the underlying etiology remains unknown. Preliminary evidence from case reports suggests that autoimmunity, specifically the presence of circulating anti-Ro/SSA antibodies in the patient (acquired form), in the patient's mother (late-progressive congenital form), or in both (mixed form), could be involved in a fraction of idiopathic AVBs in adults by possibly targeting the L-type calcium channel (Cav1.2) and inhibiting the related current (ICaL).The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether anti-Ro/SSA antibodies are causally implicated in the development of isolated AVBs in adults.Thirty-four consecutive patients with isolated AVB of unknown origin and 17 available mothers were prospectively enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies were assessed by fluoroenzyme-immunoassay, immuno-Western blotting, and line-blot immunoassay. Purified immunoglobulin-G (IgG) from anti-Ro/SSA-positive and anti-Ro/SSA-negative subjects were tested on ICaL and Cav1.2 expression using tSA201 and HEK293 cells, respectively. Moreover, in 13 AVB patients, the impact of a short course of steroid therapy on AV conduction was evaluated.Anti-Ro/SSA antibodies, particularly anti-Ro/SSA-52kD, were found in 53% of AVB-patients and/or in their mothers, most commonly an acquired or mixed form (two-thirds of cases) without history of autoimmune diseases. Purified IgG from anti-Ro/SSA-positive but not anti-Ro/SSA-negative AVB patients acutely inhibited ICaL and chronically down-regulated Cav1.2 expression. Moreover, anti-Ro/SSA-positive sera showed high reactivity with peptides corresponding to the Cav1.2 channel pore-forming region. Finally, steroid therapy rapidly improved AV conduction in AVB-patients with circulating anti-Ro/SSA antibodies but not in those without.Our study points to anti-Ro/SSA antibodies as a novel, epidemiologically relevant and potentially reversible cause of isolated AVB in adults, via an autoimmune-mediated functional interference with the L-type calcium channels. These findings have significant impact on antiarrhythmic therapies by avoiding or delaying pacemaker implantation.