The Presence and Frequency of Autoantibodies against Epidermal Antigens in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.
- Author:
Hee Joong KIM
1
;
Dae Hyun YOO
;
Chang Woo LEE
Author Information
1. Department of Dermatology, Samsung Medical Center, Sunkyunkwan University School of Medicine.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Sytemic lupus erythematosus;
Autoantibodies to epidermal proteins
- MeSH:
Antibodies, Antinuclear;
Autoantibodies*;
Basement Membrane;
Blister;
Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect;
Humans;
Immunoglobulin A;
Immunoglobulin G;
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic*;
Pemphigoid, Bullous;
Rheumatology;
Skin
- From:Korean Journal of Dermatology
2000;38(4):457-461
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Autoantibodies of heterogeneous specificities can be found in patients with SLE. OBJECTIVE: We planned to examine the presence and frequency of anti-epidermal protein autoantibodies among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Patients: Thirty consecutive patients of SLE seen at the rheumatology section with no blistering lesions, who showed positive serological findings for anti-dsDNA antibody and high titers of antinuclear antibodies, were enrolled in this study. METHODS: Indirect immunofluorescence study with normal human skin substrates and immunoblot assay using antigens obtained from A431 cell-extracts were performed with SLE sera. RESULTS: Among the 30 patients of SLE, 2 had IgG autoantibodies that bound along the basement membrane zone of the skin in IIF. In the immunoblot assay, IgG bands reacting to 230kD and/or 180kD antigens were observed in 3 cases among the 30 SLE sera; additional IgA band reactivities against 230kD and 180kD were also seen in one of the above 3. Besides these autoantibodies, they had no other autoantibodies reacting to epidermal antigens. CONCLUSION: In this study, the frequency of serum autoantibodies to the epidermal proteins (bullous pemphigoid antigens and so on) among the patients with non-bullous SLE was estimated to be 10%-positivity. This result suggests that some patients with SLE may have autoantibodies to the epidermal basement membrane zone antigens with no pathogenecity. However, possible clinical significances should further be clarified.
