Immune System Error: How Antibodies in Multiple Sclerosis Mistake Their Targets
Researchers at HSE University and the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBCh RAS) have studied how the immune system functions in multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease in which the body's own antibodies attack its nerve fibres. By comparing blood samples from MS patients and healthy individuals, scientists have discovered that the immune system in MS patients can mistake viral proteins for those of nerve cells. Several key proteins have also been identified that could serve as new biomarkers for the disease and aid in its diagnosis. The study has been published in Frontiers in Immunology. The research was conducted with support from the Russian Science Foundation.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibres. Myelin can be thought of like the insulation around electrical wires: when it deteriorates, signals between neurons are transmitted less effectively. This leads to difficulties with movement, vision, speech, and memory. The disease progresses in waves, with periods of exacerbation followed by remission; however, over time, the damage accumulates and may lead to disability. Diagnosing multiple sclerosis is challenging, as symptoms vary from patient to patient, and there are still no reliable biomarkers for a definitive diagnosis.
The causes of the immune system's malfunction are not yet fully understood, but scientists believe that viral infections may play a role. To gain deeper insight into the immune response in the disease, scientists from HSE University–St Petersburg and the Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences conducted a study comparing the antibodies of patients with multiple sclerosis to those of healthy individuals. The researchers used PhIP-Seq, a technology that identifies the antigens against which an individual already has antibodies.
Antigens are foreign molecules that trigger an immune response. They are found on the surfaces of bacteria, viruses, and other cells, prompting the immune system to respond by producing antibodies.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to combat antigens. Antibodies act like 'keys' that recognise and bind to 'locks'—antigens—in order to neutralise them or mark them for destruction by other immune cells.
PhIP-Seq not only identifies the antibodies but also determines which proteins they interact with. This enables the creation of a detailed profile of the immune response, revealing the specific targets the immune system is attacking.
Igor Eliseev
'We selected about a thousand proteins capable of triggering an autoimmune response and fragmented them into small overlapping peptides—short chains of amino acids that make up proteins. Using genetic engineering, these peptides were then displayed on bacteriophages, with each phage presenting a specific peptide on its surface,' explains Igor Eliseev, Academic Supervisor of the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Master's programme at the HSE Campus in St Petersburg. 'The modified phages were then added to the patients’ blood samples. If antibodies in the blood recognised specific peptides, they bound to the phages, forming complexes. Next, we extracted these complexes and analysed which proteins triggered the immune response.'
PhIP-Seq helped identify autoantibodies—antibodies that mistakenly target the body’s own proteins. The scientists found that in MS patients, the immune system reacts particularly strongly to the SPTAN1 protein, which plays a crucial role in the structure of nerve cells, as well as to the viral protein LMP1, which is associated with the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). In patients with aggressive forms of MS, the immune response was even broader, with cross-reactivity causing the immune system to attack both viral proteins and the body’s own tissues. Put simply, the immune system behaved as though it were confusing viral proteins with the body’s own proteins.
'Our study showed that autoimmune antibodies in multiple sclerosis respond to a broad range of proteins,' explains Yakov Lomakin, Project Head and Senior Research Fellow at IBCh RAS. 'This indicates reduced specificity: instead of precisely targeting one protein, the antibodies bind to various targets, making the immune response chaotic and destructive.'
During the experiment, the scientists tested whether a combination of several proteins could serve as a biomarker for the disease. They found that testing for four antigens—SPTAN1, PTK6, PRX (nervous system proteins), and LMP1 (an EBV protein)—can distinguish MS patients from healthy individuals with high accuracy. These findings can not only improve diagnosis but also pave the way for new treatment approaches, such as targeted therapies that block misguided immune responses.
See also:
Similar Comprehension, Different Reading: How Native Language Affects Reading in English as a Second Language
Researchers from the MECO international project, including experts from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, have developed a tool for analysing data on English text reading by native speakers of more than 19 languages. In a large-scale experiment involving over 1,200 people, researchers recorded participants’ eye movements as they silently read the same English texts and then assessed their level of comprehension. The results showed that even when comprehension levels were the same, the reading process—such as gaze fixations, rereading, and word skipping—varied depending on the reader's native language and their English proficiency. The study has been published in Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
‘The Future Is Not Predetermined—We Shape It with the Decisions We Make Today’
The strategic technological project ‘National Centre of Science, Technology, and Socio-Economic Foresight’ at HSE University spans horizons of 10 to 30 years and involves developing new methodologies of scenario analysis. It brings together researchers from different fields and helps to form a holistic vision of the future. The aim of the project is not only to produce forecasts but also to generate practical recommendations for government and business. Anastasia Likhacheva, Dean of the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, explains why it is important to learn to ask the right questions about the future.
Mortgage and Demography: HSE Scientists Reveal How Mortgage Debt Shapes Family Priorities
Having a mortgage increases the likelihood that a Russian family will plan to have a child within the next three years by 39 percentage points. This is the conclusion of a study by Prof. Elena Vakulenko and doctoral student Rufina Evgrafova from the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences. The authors emphasise that this effect is most pronounced among women, people under 36, and those without children. The study findings have been published in Voprosy Ekonomiki.
Scientists Discover How Correlated Disorder Boosts Superconductivity
Superconductivity is a unique state of matter in which electric current flows without any energy loss. In materials with defects, it typically emerges at very low temperatures and develops in several stages. An international team of scientists, including physicists from HSE MIEM, has demonstrated that when defects within a material are arranged in a specific pattern rather than randomly, superconductivity can occur at a higher temperature and extend throughout the entire material. This discovery could help develop superconductors that operate without the need for extreme cooling. The study has been published in Physical Review B.
Scientists Develop New Method to Detect Motor Disorders Using 3D Objects
Researchers at HSE University have developed a new methodological approach to studying motor planning and execution. By using 3D-printed objects and an infrared tracking system, they demonstrated that the brain initiates the planning process even before movement begins. This approach may eventually aid in the assessment and treatment of patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. The paper has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Civic Identity Helps Russians Maintain Mental Health During Sanctions
Researchers at HSE University have found that identifying with one’s country can support psychological coping during difficult times, particularly when individuals reframe the situation or draw on spiritual and cultural values. Reframing in particular can help alleviate symptoms of depression. The study has been published in Journal of Community Psychology.
Scientists Clarify How the Brain Memorises and Recalls Information
An international team, including scientists from HSE University, has demonstrated for the first time that the anterior and posterior portions of the human hippocampus have distinct roles in associative memory. Using stereo-EEG recordings, the researchers found that the rostral (anterior) portion of the human hippocampus is activated during encoding and object recognition, while the caudal (posterior) portion is involved in associative recall, restoring connections between the object and its context. These findings contribute to our understanding of the structure of human memory and may inform clinical practice. A paper with the study findings has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Researchers Examine Student Care Culture in Small Russian Universities
Researchers from the HSE Institute of Education conducted a sociological study at four small, non-selective universities and revealed, based on 135 interviews, the dual nature of student care at such institutions: a combination of genuine support with continuous supervision, reminiscent of parental care. This study offers the first in-depth look at how formal and informal student care practices are intertwined in the post-Soviet educational context. The study has been published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education.
AI Can Predict Student Academic Performance Based on Social Media Subscriptions
A team of Russian researchers, including scientists from HSE University, used AI to analyse 4,500 students’ subscriptions to VK social media communities. The study found that algorithms can accurately identify both high-performing students and those struggling with their studies. The paper has been published in IEEE Access.
HSE Scientists: Social Cues in News Interfaces Build Online Trust
Researchers from the HSE Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users have discovered how social cues in the design of news websites—such as reader comments, the number of reposts, or the author’s name—can help build user trust. An experiment with 137 volunteers showed that such interface elements make a website appear more trustworthy and persuasive to users, with the strongest cue being links to the media’s social networks. The study's findings have been published in Human-Computer Interaction.