Summary
Different immunological techniques were compared for their sensitivity in detecting some important autoantibodies in the sera of patients with rheumatic diseases. Sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were screened for anti-dsDNA, Sm, and RNP autoantibodies byCrithidia luciliae assay, Farr assay, enzyme immunoassay, and immunoblotting. Sera of patients with Sjögren's syndrome were screened for anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies by enzyme immunoassay, counter immunoelectrophoresis, and immunoblotting and sera of patients with scleroderma for SCL-70 autoantibodies by enzyme immunoassay counter immunoelectrophoresis, and immunofluorescence on Hep-2 cells. Enzyme immunoassay and counter immunoelectrophoresis gave the most positive results and the best agreement compared with the other techniques. Immunofluorescence gave few positive results for each antibody evaluated. Immunoblotting gave intermediate results for all autoantibodies except anti-SSA, where the prevalence was low. There was no relationship between levels of dsDNA, Sm, and RNP antibodies and disease activity score in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Tan EM. Autoantibodies to nuclear antigens (ANA): their immunobiology and medicine. Adv Immunol 1982; 33: 167.
Tan EM. Antinuclear antibodies: diagnostic markers for autoimmune diseases and probes for cell biology. Adv Immunol 1989; 44: 93.
Pandey JP, Fudenberg HH, Ainsworth SK, Loadholt CB. Autoantibodies in healthy subjects of different age groups. Mech Ageing Dev 1979; 10: 399.
Sharp GC, Irvin WS, May CM, Holman HR, McDuffy RC, Hess EV, Schmid FR. Association of antibodies to ribonucleoprotein and Sm antigens with mixed connective tissue disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and other rheumatic diseases. N Engl J Med 1976; 295: 1149.
Sharp GC, Irvin WS, Tan EM, Gould RG, Holman HR. Mixed connective tissue disease: an apparently distinct rheumatic disease syndrome associated with a specific antibody to an extractable nuclear antigen (ENA). Am J Med 1972; 52: 148.
Alspaugh MA, Tan EM. Antibodies to cellular antigens in Sjögren's syndrome. J Clin Invest 1975; 55: 1067.
Mattioli M, Reich M. Heterogeneity of RNA protein antigens reactive with sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 1974; 17: 421.
Lerner MR, Boyle JA, Hardin JA, Steitz JA. Two novel classes of small ribonucleoproteins detected by antibodies associated with lupus erythematosus. Science 1981; 211; 400.
Rinke J, Steitz JA. Precursor molecules of both human 5S ribosomal and transfer RNAs are bound by a cellular protein reactive with anti-La antibodies. Cell 1982; 29: 149.
Douvas AS, Achten M, Tan EM. Identification of a nuclear protein (Sc170) as a unique target of human antinuclear antibodies in scleroderma. J Biol Chem 1979; 254: 10514.
Shero JH, Bordwell B, Rothfield NF, Earnshaw WC. Autoantibodies to topoisomerase I are found in sera from scleroderma patients. Science 1986; 231: 737.
Swaak AJG, Aarden LA, Epps LWS van. Anti-dsDNA and complement profiles as prognostic guides in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 1979; 22: 226.
Johnson GD, Holborow EJ. Routine immunofluorescent test for serum antinuclear antibodies. Assoc Clin Pathol Broadsheet 1983; 107.
Bunn CC, Gharavi AE, Hughes GRV. Antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens in 173 patients with DNA-binding positive SLE: an association between antibodies to RNP and Sm antigens observed by counter immunoelectrophoresis. Clin Lab Immunol 1982; 8: 13.
Rose NR, Friedman H, Fahey JL eds. Manual of clinical laboratory immunology, 3rd edn. Washington: American Society of Microbiology; 1986.
Towbin H, Stachelin T, Gordon J. Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: procedure and some applications. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1979; 76: 4350.
Venrooij WJ van, Charles P, Maini RN. The consensus workshop for the detection of autoantibodies to intracellular antigens in rheumatic diseases. J Immunol Methods 1991; 140:181.
Tan EM, Cohen AS, Fries JF, Masi AT, McShane DJ, Rothfield NF, Schaller JG, Talal N, Winchester RJ. The 1982 revised criteria for the classification of systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 1982; 25: 1271.
Vitali C, Bencivelli W, Isenberg DA, Smolen JS, Snaith ML, Sciuto M, Neri R, Bombardieri S and the European Consensus Study Group For Disease Activity In SLE. Disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: report of the Consensus Study Group of the European Workshop for Rheumatology Research. II. Identification of the variables indicatives of disease activity and their use in the development of an activity score. Clin Exp Rheumatol 1992; 10: 541.
Masi A, Rodnan GP. Preliminary criteria for the classification of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Bull Rheum Dis 1981; 31: 1.
Manthorpe R, Oxholm P, Prause JU, Schiödt M. The Copenhagen criteria for Sjögren's syndrome. Scand J Immunol 1986; 61 [Suppl 19].
Venables PJW, Smith PR, Maini RN. Purification and characterization of the Sjögren's syndrome A and B antigens. Clin Exp Immunol 1983; 54: 731.
Wold RT, Young FE, Tan EM, Farr RS. Deoxyribonucleic acid antibody: a method to detect its primary interaction with deoxyribonucleic acid. Science 1968; 161: 806.
Bernstein R, Steigerwald JC, Tan EM. Association of antinuclear and antinucleolar antibodies in progressive systemic sclerosis. Clin Exp Immunol 1982; 48: 43.
Cavallhro JJ, McDuffie F, Byrd MG, McDougal JS, eds. Laboratory methods for detection of antinuclear antibodies. Atlanta: Department of Health and Human Services, 1987.
Swaak AJG, Aarden LA, Van Epps L. Anti-dsDNA and complement profiles as prognostic guides in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum 1979; 22: 226.
Tan EM, Carr RI, Schur PH, Kunkel HG. DNA and antibody to DNA in the serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Invest 1966; 45: 1732.
Stollar BD. Antibodies to DNA. Biochemistry 1986; 20: 1.
Williams DG, Stocks MR, Charles PJ, Mann RN. Antibodies to La, Jo-1, nRNP and Sm detected by multi-track immunoblotting using a novel filter holder: a comparative study with counter immunoelectrophoresis and immunodiffusion using sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome. J Immunol Methods 1986; 91: 65.
Jaraabek-Choraelska M, Blaszczyk M, Jablonska S, Chorzelski T, Kumar V, Beutner EH. Scl-70 antibody. A specific marker of systemic sclerosis. Br J Dermatol 1986; 115: 401.
Shero JH, Bordwell B, Rothfield NF, Earnshaw WC. Autoantibodies to topoisomerase I are found in sera from scleroderma patients. Science 1986; 231: 740.
Alspaugh MA, Talal N, Tan EM. Differentiation and characterization of autoantibodies and their antigens in Sjögren's syndrome. Arthritis Rheum 1976; 19: 216.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02644774.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Grigolo, B., Mazzetti, I., Borzì, R.M. et al. Comparison of different methods for the detection of autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases. Int J Clin Lab Res 25, 205–210 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02592699
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02592699