Open AccessMethods to detect antifibrillarin antibodies in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc): A comparison
Author(s) -
García Josefina Huerta,
Osuna Monica Delgado,
Castrejon Filiberto Martinez,
Enriquez Laura Guzman,
Reyes Pedro A.,
Hermosillo J. Jesus Cortes
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.20003
Subject(s) - iif , fibrillarin , autoantibody , small nucleolar rna , antigen , antibody , biology , immunology , serology , western blot , immunofluorescence , immunoprecipitation , indirect immunofluorescence , microbiology and biotechnology , ribosomal rna , rna , genetics , gene , non coding rna
Autoantibodies against nucleolar antigens are common in systemic sclerosis (SSc). They include autoantibodies against fibrillarin (Fb), which are serological markers for SSc. Fb is associated with the evolutionally‐conserved box C/D of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs). We compared indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), Western blot (WB), and immunoprecipitation (IPP) of total small RNAs assays to determine which of these techniques is most specific for the detection of snoRNPs. We also examined the frequency and specificity of autoantibodies from SSc patients to snoRNAs, snRNAs, and scRNAs, and concluded that 1) IIF can not determine autoantibody specificity against Fb, 2) 36% of SSc sera were false‐negative by WB, and 3) by IPP, anti‐Fb autoantibodies from SSc patients can bind U3, U8, U13, U15, and U22 snoRNAs. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 18:19–26, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.