Mereuta, Oana Madalina

Abstract Amyloidosis is a group of hereditary and acquired disorders of diverse pathogenesis united by end organ damage due to tissue deposition of misfolded proteins. The diagnosis is typically based on demonstrating Congo red positive amyloid deposits in tissue biopsies of clinically involved sites. Because treatment options for amyloidosis patients are highly varied and intricately tied to the identity of the protein that constitutes the amyloid deposits, adequate diagnostic evaluation now requires identification of the amyloidogenic protein. Traditionally, immunohistochemistry with antibodies to amyloid-associated proteins was the clinical technique of choice for subtyping amyloid deposits in tissue sections. This technique suffers from poor analytical sensitivity and specificity and is a suboptimal technique on which to base treatment decisions for amyloidosis patients. We developed a highly accurate and reproducible liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometery (LC-MS/MS)-based shotgun proteomics assay for subtyping amyloid deposits (Blood. 2009; 114: 4957-9) from microdissected paraffin embedded tissue samples. Implementation of this assay in a CAP/CLIA clinical laboratory has subsequently transformed the standard of amyloidosis care at Mayo Clinic. Since 2008, we utilized the assay in routine practice to identify 20 different amyloid types in tissue samples from diverse anatomic sites from 4139 patients (Table 1). Although AL and ATTR were most common, the cases include a large variety of unusual, and in many cases clinically unsuspected amyloid types. In addition, the amyloid protein subtypes had different frequencies in different anatomic sites (A partial list of tissue sites and their amyloid types analyzed in this study includes: bone marrow: AL 82%, ATTR 15%, AA 2%, other 1%; kidney: AL 51%, ALect2 18%, AA 17%, AH 5%, AFib 4%, other 5%; liver: AL 64%, ALect2 23%, AApoA1 6%, AA 3%, ATTR 2%, other 2%; heart: ATTR 60%, AL 37%, AANF1%, other 2%; GI tract: AL 78%, ATTR 13%, AA 6% AApoA4 1%, other 2%; eye [primarily adnexae] AL 63%; eye [primarily cornea] TGFB induced protein ig-h3 34%, other 3%). One caveat is that these distributions of amyloid types may not accurately reflect population prevalence. More likely, the findings reflected a composite prevalence that included challenging amyloidosis cases.Table 1Frequency of amyloid subtypes observed in the Mayo Amyloid Cohort (n=4139). Asterisk denotes non-canonical subtypesAmyloid SubtypeNumber (%) of casesAL2553 (61.68)ATTR1015 (24.52)AA151 (3.65)ALect2148 (3.58)AIns48 (1.09)Keratin*36 (0.87)AApoA130 (0.72)AH27 (0.65)AFib26 (0.63)TGFB1-IP*22 (0.53)AApoA420 (0.48)AANF14 (0.34)Ab2M12 (0.29)AGel12 (0.29)ASem112 (0.29)APro7 (0.17)ALys3 (0.07)ACal2 (0.05)Enfuvirtide*2 (0.05)AIAPP2 (0.05) The prevalence of diverse and unexpected amyloid types in many tissues suggest that shotgun proteomic-based analysis may be the only way to accurately assign amyloid subtype in tissue samples. The technique avoids the analytical problems of immunohistochemistry and the bias introduced by assigning probable amyloid type based on clinical presentation and disease distribution. It provides the clinician with an amyloid subtype that allows for confident individualized patient management. Accurate amyloid subtyping by LC-MS/MS is not only possible, but has proven to be a robust routine clinical tool for the evaluation of numerous amyloidosis patients in our practice. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Aims Prognostication and treatment selection for cardiac amyloidosis requires accurate amyloid typing. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of histomorphology for predicting type. Methods and results Autopsy cases with cardiac amyloidosis (1998–2010) were typed by the use of mass spectrometry‐based proteomics. Deposition patterns were correlated with amyloid type. Among 108 decedents (mean age 75 years; 69% men), 107 had a single type, including transthyretin (ATTR) (60 cases), amyloid light chain (AL) (32 λ; 12 κ), amyloid A (AA) (two), and apolipoprotein AIV (AApoAIV) (one). Interstitial deposition was more extensive in AL amyloidosis cases than in ATTR cases [odds ratio (OR) 6.8, P = 0.0004]. Histomorphological patterns of interstitial deposition were mixed in 61% of AL amyloidosis cases and in 61% of ATTR cases, but diffuse pericellular deposits favoured AL amyloidosis (OR 10.7, P = 0.0001), nodular deposits favoured ATTR (OR 3.1, P = 0.0229), and discrete pericellular deposits tended to partially favour ATTR (OR 1.7, P = 0.1970). Arterial and venous deposits each favoured AL amyloidosis (OR ranging from 9.3 to 192.0, P‐value ranging from 0.0022 to <0.0001), and were severe in AL amyloidosis. Endocardial deposits favoured AL amyloidosis (OR 46.3, P < 0.0001) and were also more severe in AL amyloidosis. Conclusions The extent and distribution of cardiac amyloidosis strongly correlate with amyloid type, suggesting fundamental differences in the pathobiology of deposition. The tendency for mixed patterns to occur limits the practicality and accuracy of using histopathology for amyloid typing.

Key Points Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-2–associated amyloidosis (ALect2) is a common cause of systemic amyloidosis involving the liver. Recognition and accurate diagnosis of hepatic ALect2 amyloidosis is essential for accurate management of patients with hepatic amyloidosis.