There is a well-established link between distal demyelinating neuropathy and anti-MAG antibodies in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance.
In this study we focused our attention on the trisaccharide human natural killer cell-1 (HNK-1), considered the antigenic determinant of myelin-associated glycoprotein and the target of clinically relevant auto-antibodies in autoimmune neurological disorders such as IgM monoclonal gammopathy and demyelinating polyneuropathy.
IgG heavy-chain (Gm) allotypes were determined in 11 Caucasian patients with the syndrome of demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with monoclonal IgM autoantibodies with affinity for myelin-associated glycoprotein.