Comparative B cell epitope profiling in Japanese and North American cohorts of MDA5+ dermatomyositis reveals a direct association between immune repertoire and pulmonary mortality

Anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 antibody-positive (MDA5+) dermatomyositis patients exhibit clinical features that vary by geographical and ethnic/genetic distribution. We therefore investigated whether B cell epitope profiles and corresponding clinical features distinguished two independent cohorts of MDA5+ dermatomyositis.