Anti‐ribosomal antibodies bind the Sm proteins D and B/B′

In order to analyse the specificity of human anti‐ribosomal P protein antibodies, anti‐ribosomal P protein antibodies were affinity‐purified from the sera of lupus patients. Their binding capacity towards recombinant SmD protein and recombinant SmB/B′ protein was evaluated by immunoblot and ELISA. Epitope mapping of SmD was performed by means of synthetic peptides. Anti‐ribosomal P protein antibodies bound recombinant SmD (5/10) and SmB/B′ (4/10) on immunoblot; 6/10 showed binding capacity to SmD on ELISA. Inhibition experiments using ELISA confirmed the specificity of this binding. Our data indicate the cross‐reactivity of spontaneously developed anti‐ribosomal P protein antibodies with the B/B′ and D constituents of the Sm complex. The coexistence of anti‐Sm and anti‐ribosomal antibodies in lupus sera may therefore be due, at least in part, to the reactivity of a single autoantibody population.