In an autoimmune inflammatory disease, and specifically neuromyelitis optica (NMO), an anti-AQP4 antibody blocked cell surface AQP4 binding of polyclonal NMO-IgG in patient sera in cell culture, ex vivo spinal cord and in vivo mouse models of NMO, preventing downstream cytotoxicity and NMO lesions [286,288]. Here, AQP4 is linked to neuromyelitis optica.