Epitopes of the human pdgf receptor able to bind human auto-antibodies, antibodies and uses thereof

Authors generated agonistic and non-agonistic recombinant human monoclonal auto-antibodies (rHu-maab) directed to Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor (PDGFR). These novel reagents were employed to define the map of PDGFR functional domains involved in (Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)-specific pathogenic intracellular signaling and PDGFR epitopes apparently unrelated to signaling pathways. These unprecedented observations open new perspectives to understand the pathogenesis of SSc and to devise novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against this complex disorder of the connective tissue. Moreover, the functional characterization of the extracellular domains of PDGFR, an ubiquitous receptor involved in several biological processes, may also have important implications in other contexts relevant to both physiological and pathological conditions.