About the Authors

Peter Karczewski

karczewski@aak-diagnostik.de

Affiliation E.R.D.E.-AAK-Diagnostik GmbH, Berlin, Germany

Andreas Pohlmann

Affiliation Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Babette Wagenhaus

Affiliation Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Natali Wisbrun

Affiliation Animal Facilities, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Petra Hempel

Affiliation E.R.D.E.-AAK-Diagnostik GmbH, Berlin, Germany

Bernd Lemke

Affiliation IT Department, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Rudolf Kunze

Affiliation E.R.D.E. e.V., Berlin, Germany

Thoralf Niendorf

Affiliations Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany, Experimental and Clinical Research Center, a joint cooperation between the Charité Medical Faculty and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Marion Bimmler

Affiliation Autoimmunity and G Protein-Coupled Receptors, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany

Competing Interests

Dr. Kunze is employed by ERDE eV, a non-profit incorporated society. Dr. Karczewski and Dr. Hempel are employees of ERDE AAK-Diagnostik GmbH, a research enterprise. There is no product development or marketing of products by these companies. Both are authorized to acquire public research funds. Research work in particular of ERDE AAK-Diagnostik GmbH led to the formation of the research group Autoimmunity and G Protein-Coupled Receptors at the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine headed by Dr. Bimmler who is executive director of ERDE AAK-Diagnostik GmbH and member of the executive board of ERDE eV. The European Community Grant No. 10145576 to Dr. Bimmler as research group leader supports a common research project of the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and of ERDE AAK-Diagnostik GmbH. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: PK AP MB RK TN. Performed the experiments: PK AP BW NW PH. Analyzed the data: PK BL AP. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: PK AP NW PH BL MB TN. Wrote the paper: PK AP NW.