To more fully define the nature of the antibody response to melanocytes which is associated with vitiligo, a Western immunoblot assay was used to test the sera of 28 patients with vitiligo (21 with active non-segmental, and 7 with stable segmental diseases) and 26 normal individuals for antibodies to antigens in detergent extracts of melanocyte membrane fractions. Antibodies to melanocytes were found in 26 (93%) of the patients with vitiligo, and in 16 (62%) of the control individuals. Patients with vitiligo and control individuals both had antibodies to an 80 approximately 83 kD antigen. The patient with vitiligo, in addition, had antibody responses to antigens with MWs of 45, 65, and 110 kD. Antibodies to these antigens were present in 46, 25, and 31% of vitiligo patients, but in only 19%. 0%, amd 0%, respectively, of the normal individuals. The heterogeneity of the antibody responses to melanocytes in vitiligo was further confirmed by the presence of antibodies to at least 3 distinct antigens in one-third of vitiligo patients but in none of the normal individuals. There was no difference in antibody response between patients with generalized and segmental vitiligo, suggesting that the pathogenesis of diseases was similar in both cases.
Antibodies/*analysis ; Antigens/immunology ; Blotting, Western ; Human ; Melanocytes/*immunology ; Reference Values ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Vitiligo/*immunology/*pathology

OBJECTIVETo detect the serum levels of melanocyte antibodies and explore the relation between melanoma antigen recognized by T-cells (MART-1) and vitiligo in children.

METHODSThe serum samples were collected from children with vitiligo to test the autoantibodies, and divided into low- and high-titer group according to the test results. Melanocytes were incubated with the serum samples, and the changes of melanocyte surface antigen were evaluated using specific MART-1 antibody.

RESULTSThe serum melanocyte antibody levels in children with vitiligo were significantly higher than those in normal subjects. The expression level of melanocyte surface antigen MART-1 increased obviously after incubation of the melanocyte with high antibody titer serum samples, and MART-1 was found to specifically bind to specific MART-1 antibody.

CONCLUSIONMelanocytes MART-1 may correlate to the autoimmune mechanism in children with vitiligo.

Adolescent ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; MART-1 Antigen ; immunology ; Male ; Melanocytes ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Vitiligo ; immunology

Vitiligo is frequently associated with autoimmune diseases, such as multiple glandular insuffi ciencies and thyroid diseases. In addition, various circulating antiorgan antibodies are found in patients with vitiligo. This raises the possibility that vitiligo might also be an antibody associated au toimmune disease. Variou. alterations in peripheral mononuclear cells, especially T-cells and T-cell subsets have been desiribed in patients with vitiligo. The discovery of circulating antimelanocyte antibodies in patients with vitiligo demonstrateci that vitiligo may be associted with alterations in the specific immunity to melanocytes. These vit iligo antibodies, which are more common in patients with vitiligo than in normal individuals, react with cell surface pigment cell antigens with MWs of approximately 150, 90, 75, 40-45, and 35 kDa, and can kill rnelanocytes in vitro. It has been suggested tiat melanocytes are much more sensitive to toxic or immune mediatece injury that other cutaneou; cell types, thus explaining their apparently selective destruction in vitiligo despite the rather bro d specificity of these vitiligo antibodies. However vitiligo autoantibodies are not found in all vitilio patients. Some of t,hem are present in patients without vitiligo. Tak ing into account the common occurrence of circulation autoantibodies irrelevant to the pathogene sis of the cutaneous hypomelanosis in vitiligo patients, the pathogenetic role of these vitiligo anti bodies has not yet been demonstrated, and the possibility that they represent an impertineni epiphenomenon in vitiligo cannot be ruled out.
Allergy and Immunology* ; Antibodies ; Autoantibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Humans ; Hypopigmentation ; Melanocytes ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; T-Lymphocytes ; Thyroid Diseases ; Vitiligo*