Can the study of natural abzymes produced during pregnancy clarify unanswered questions on the induction and function of these catalytic antibodies?:

1. Which factors promote induction of cells producing abzymes during pregnancy and lactation?

2. Are the processes invoking abzyme production in patients with autoimmune disorders and in healthy women during pregnancy similar, and do they involve the same mechanisms?

    Abzymes have been discovered in the milk and blood of pregnant women that catalyze the hydrolysis of DNA and RNA (1).  These discoveries raised new questions on the origin of abzymes and on the immune status of pregnant and lactating women.  Blood of pregnant women (as well as patients with autoimmune disorders) contains increased concentrations of DNA and fetal cells (2).  The increase in DNA concentration and appearance of "foreign" fetal cells in the maternal blood may represent the factors the promote induction of cells producing abzymes.

Hypothesis:  Abzyme production is induced during pregnancy and in autoimmune disorders by the appearance of "foreign" factors in the blood, such as unknown DNA and/or fetal cells.

    Proposed Project to Investigate Hypothesis

References:

1.  Nevinsky GA, Kanyshkova TG, Buneva VN. 2000. Natural catalytic antibodies (abzymes) in normalcy and pathology. Biochem (Moscow) 65(11):1245-55.

2.  Buneva VN, Kudryavtseva AN, Gal'vita AV, Dubrovskaya VV, Khokhlova OV, Kalinina IA, Galenok VA, Nevinsky GA. 2003. Dynamics of antibody nuclease activity in blood of women during pregnancy and lactation. Biochem (Moscow) 68(8):890-900.