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. 2018 Sep 27;29(3):120-126.
doi: 10.31138/mjr.29.3.120. eCollection 2018 Sep.

Multiparametric autoantibody profiling of patients with systemic sclerosis in Greece

Christos Liaskos  1 , Emmanouela Marou  1 , Theodora Simopoulou  1 , Athanasios Gkoutzourelas  1 , Maria Barmakoudi  1 , George Efthymiou  1 , Thomas Scheper  2 , Wolfgang Meyer  2 , Christina G Katsiari  1 , Dimitrios P Bogdanos  1 , Lazaros I Sakkas  1
Affiliations

Multiparametric autoantibody profiling of patients with systemic sclerosis in Greece

Christos Liaskos et al. Mediterr J Rheumatol. .

Abstract

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease characterized by a wide range of disease-specific and disease-related autoantibodies (autoAbs). Profile assays have been developed and are currently in use to meet the demand for better characterization of all autoAbs found in SSc patients.

Aim: To assess the clinical relevance of SSc-related autoantibodies in 158 patients with SSc, all from Central Greece, taking advantage of a multiparametric SSc autoantibody line immunoassay.

Material and methods: 158 consecutive patients with SSc (137 females, mean age 53.2 ± 10 years; 63 patients with dcSSc and 95 with lcSSc) from central Greece were included in the study. Eighteen patients with morphea were also included. Serum samples were analyzed by a profile SSc nucleoli line assay (Euroimmun) to detect Abs against 13 autoantigens: Scl-70, Centromere (A, B), RNA polymerase III (subunits 11 & 155), fibrillarin, NOR90, Th/To, PM/Scl 100, PM/Scl75, Ku, PDGFR and Ro52. Antinuclear autoAbs (ANAs) were detected by indirect immunofluorescence.

Results: ANAs were detected in 97.5% of SSc patients. Reactivities to specific autoantigens were as follows: Topo I, 40.5%; CENP, 32.9%; Ro52, 21.5%; RP11, 8.9%; RP155, 13.3%; NOR 90, 4.4%; Ku 3.8%; PM-Scl75, 3.2%; PM-Scl100, 1.3%; Th/To, 1.3%; Fibrillarin, 1.3%; PDGFR 0%; Ro52 21.5%. Twenty-one of SSc did not have any of the main autoAbs, namely anti-Topo I, anti-CENP, anti-RNA pol III Abs.

Conclusions: Multiparametric autoAb test provides positive SSc-associated autoAb reactivities in SSc patients negative for the three main autoAbs and this may prove of significance in early disease diagnosis.

Keywords: autoantibodies; autoimmune disease; diagnostics; scleroderma.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
AutoAb levels (expressed as AU) in 158 patients with systemic sclerosis. The solid black line at the center of each box is the median. The arms of each line extend with their ends corresponding to 10 % and 90% of the values.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Representative autoantibody patterns of SSc-related autoantibody line assay
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
A Venn diagram depicting autoAb positivity of the four most frequent reactivities (anti-Topo I, anti-CEN, anti-RNA pol III, and anti-Ro52)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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