Autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disorder, which leads to progressive fibrosis of many organs. Its course is characterized by the presence of two classical autoantibodies: anti-topoisomerase I (ATA, Scl-70) and anti-centromere (ACA). In recent years, the presence of antibodies against a wider range of antigens was demonstrated, namely: RNA polymerase III, fibrillarin, NOR90, Th/To, PM-Scl-100, PM-Scl-75, Ku, PDGFR, but their clinical significance is relatively little known and until recently the methods of their assessment were available only in specialized laboratories. More and more reports in the literature indicate existence of links between the presence of selected autoantibodies with clinical correlations i.e. anti-RNA polymerase III with scleroderma renal crisis or anti-Ku and myositis, arthritis and joint contractures. The importance of autoantibodies in the diagnostic process was underlined by their inclusion into the new ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria for systemic sclerosis. This work reviews the current knowledge on the clinical significance of autoantibodies in systemic sclerosis.