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Detection of anti-U3-RNP/fibrillarin IgG antibodies by line immunoblot assay has comparable clinical significance to immunoprecipitation testing in systemic sclerosis

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and clinical relevance of a commercially available line immunoblot assay (LIA) for detecting anti-U3-RNP/fibrillarin (anti-U3-RNP), against immunoprecipitation (gold standard). This study involved a multi-ethnic cohort of 1000 American systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients and 50 healthy controls. Antinuclear antibodies and centromere antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescent antibody test, anti-topo I by immunodiffusion and anti-RNAP III by ELISA. The presence of anti-U3-RNP in select serum samples was detected by immunoprecipitation (IP) and LIA. By IP, U3-RNP antibody was detected in 75 (7.5 %) patients with SSc. Overall agreement between LIA and IP was very good (κ = 0.966). Analytic sensitivity and specificity of the U3-RNP LIA was 100 and 94.7 %, respectively. Clinical features associated with positivity for the anti-U3-RNP antibody include diffuse cutaneous SSc and increased prevalence of renal crisis, consistent with previous studies that used IP. Testing for U3-RNP antibodies is only performed by a small number of laboratories due to the complexity of both performance and interpretation of the IP. LIA is faster and less complex than IP. Excellent agreement between IP and LIA demonstrates that LIA is an acceptable and attractive alternative to IP for anti-U3-RNP detection.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr. Minoru Satoh for testing the samples by IP at the University of Florida. EUROLINE Systemic Sclerosis (Nucleoli) Profile (IgG) kits were provided by EUROIMMUN US, which was not involved in the study design or the writing of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Lisa K. Peterson & Anne E. Tebo

  2. ARUP Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Troy D. Jaskowski & Anne E. Tebo

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunogenetics, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Maureen D. Mayes

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  1. Lisa K. Peterson
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  2. Troy D. Jaskowski
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  4. Anne E. Tebo
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Correspondence to Anne E. Tebo.

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Peterson, L.K., Jaskowski, T.D., Mayes, M.D. et al. Detection of anti-U3-RNP/fibrillarin IgG antibodies by line immunoblot assay has comparable clinical significance to immunoprecipitation testing in systemic sclerosis. Immunol Res 64, 483–488 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-015-8710-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-015-8710-9

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