Summary
In 53 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) the lymphocytotoxic activity of their serum was measured in a microlymphocytotoxicity assay. In 21 of the 53 patients the test reacted distinctly positively in the heterologous system, and in 9 of these 21 also in the autologous system. After preparation of the immunoglobulins from these positive sera, whole cytotoxic activity was detected only in the IgM fraction but not in the IgG fraction. When using prepared T lymphocytes as target cells in the microlymphocytotoxicity test, the cytotoxic activity of the positive PSS sera showed itself to be directed against this lymphocyte population. Further analysis using the Western-blot technique showed that the IgM autoantibody in PSS sera reacted with the cell surface of CD4+ lymphocytes. The cross reactivity with extractable nuclear antigens was rather improbable. These results suggest that lymphocytotoxic autoantibodies may play a role in immunological disturbances in PSS.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bakke AC, Ehresmann GR, Horowitz DH (1985) T cell subsets in progressive systemic sclerosis: a preliminary report. In: Black CM (ed) Current topica in rheumatology: Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Grower Medical, New York London, pp 338–341
Boyum A (1978) Isolation of mononuclear cells and granulocytes from human blood. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 21:77–89
Brentnall TJ, Kenneally D, Barnett AJ (1982) Autoantibodies to fibroblasts in scleroderma. J Clin Lab Immunol 3:9–12
Burnham TK (1981) Nuclear immunofluorescent patterns in mixed connective tissue disease (MCTC). J Am Acad Dermatol 4:95–96
Cairus E, Block J, Bell DA (1984) Anti-DNA-autoantibody-producing hybridomas of normal human lymphoid cell origin. J Clin Invest 74:880–885
Cohen S, Johnson AR, Hurd E (1983) Cytotoxicity of sera from patients with scleroderma. Arthritis Rheum 26:170–178
Connelly SM, Winkelmann RK (1981) Direct immunofluorescent findings in scleroderma syndromes. Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 61:29–36
Duncan MR, Perlish JS, Fleischmajer R (1984) Lymphokina/monokina inhibition of fibroblast proliferation and collagen production: role in progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). J Invest Dermatol 83:377–384
Ehresmann GR, Bakke AC, Horwitz DA (1982) T cell subsets in progressive systemic sclerosis. Arthritis Rheum 25 [Suppl]:45 (abstract)
Haustein UF, Herrmann K, Böhme HJ (1986) Pathogenesis of progressive systemic sclerosis. Int J Dermatol 5:286–293
Jarzabek-Chorzelska M, Blaszczyk M, Jabŀonska S, Chorzelski T, Kumar V, Beutner EH (1986) Scl 70 antibody —a specific marker of systemic sclerosis. Br J Dermatol 115:393–401
Krakauer RS, Sundeen J, Sauder DN, Scherbel A (1981) Abnormalities of immune regulation in progressive systemic sclerosis: evidence for excess helper-cell function and altered B-cell function. Arch Dermatol 117:80–82
Laemmli UK (1970) Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature (Lond) 277:680–685
Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193:265–275
Mackel AM, De Lustro F, Harper FE, LeRoy EC (1982) Antibodies to collagen in scleroderma. Arthritis Rheum 25:522–531
Masi AT, Rodnan GP, Medsger TA jr, Altman RD, D'Angelo WA, Fries JF, LeRoy EC, Kirsner AB, Mac-Kenzie AH, McShane DJ, Myers AR, Sharp GC (1980) Preliminary criteria for the classification of systemic clerosis (scleroderma). Arthritis Rheum 23:581–590
Minota S, Winfield JB (1987) IgG anti-lymphocyte antibodies in systemic erythematosus react with surface molecules shared by peripheral T cells and a primitive T cell line. J Immunol 138:1750–1756
Miyoshi Y, Kilpatrick KA, Kelley RO, Searles RP, Williams RC (1985) Antibodies to lymphocyte membrane preparations in systemic lupus erythematosus. J Rheumatol 12:1097–1104
Reimer G, Huschka M, Keller J, Kammerer R, Hornstein OP (1983) Immunofluorescence studies in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) and mixed connective tissue disease. Br J Dermatol 109:27–36
Schaller J, Herrmann K, Haustein UF (1988) Decrease in the SE-receptors in systemic sclerosis (submitted for publication)
Takehara K, Moroi Y, Ishibashi Y (1985) Antinuclear antibodies in the relatives of patients with systemic sclerosis. Br J Dermatol 112:23–33
Tan EM, Rodnan GP, Garcia I, Moroi Y, Fritzler HJ, Peables C (1980) Diversity of antinuclear antibodies in progressive systemic sclerosis. Anti-centromere antibody and its relationship to CREST syndrome. Arthritis Rheum 23:617–625
Terasaki PI, McClelland JD (1965) Microdroplet assay of serum cytotoxine. Nature 204:998–1000
Tomonari K (1985) Invivo helper activity of autoreactive T cell clones. J Immunol 135:1598–1605
Towbin H, Staehelin T, Gordon J (1979) Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets. Proc Natl Acad Sci (USA) 76:4350–4354
Tuffanelli DL, Winkelmann RK (1962) Scleroderma and its relationship to the “collagenoses”: dermatomyositis, lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome. Am J Med Sci 243:133–136
Tuffanelli DL, McKeon F, Kleinsmith AM, Burnham TK, Kirschner M (1983) Anticentromere and anticentriole antibodies in the scleroderma spectrum. Arch Dermatol 119:560–566
Wahl SM, Wahl LM, McCorthy JB (1978) Lymphocyte mediated activatin of fibroblast proliferation and collagen production. J Immunol 121:942–946
Winfield JB, Shaw M, Yamada A, Minota S (1987) Subset specificity of antilymphocyte antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. II. Preferential reactivity with T4+ cells is associated with relative depletion of autologous T4+ cells. Arthritis Rheum 30:162–168
Wybran J, Fudenberg HH (1973) Thymus derived rosette-forming cells in various human disease states: cancer, lymphoma, bacterial and viral infections and other diseases. J Clin Invest 52:1026–1032
Yamada A, Shaw M, Winfield JB (1985) Surface antigen specificity of cold-reactive IgM antilymphocyte antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 28:44–51
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Herrmann, K., Schaller, J., Haustein, U.F. et al. Lymphocytotoxic autoantibodies in progressive systemic sclerosis. Arch Dermatol Res 280, 399–404 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429977
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429977