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Complete congenital heart block is associated with increased autoantibody titers against calreticulin
Author(s) -
ORTH T.,
DÖRNER T.,
MEYER ZUM BÜSCHENFELDE K.H.,
MAYET W.J.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2362.1996.120270.x
Subject(s) - calreticulin , autoantibody , titer , medicine , heart block , immunology , cardiology , biology , electrocardiography , antibody , genetics , endoplasmic reticulum
Complete congenital heart block (CCHB) is associated with anti‐Ro/SS‐A and anti‐La/SS‐B antibodies. Calreticulin, a calcium‐binding, multifunctional protein of the endoplasmic reticulum with C‐terminal KDEL‐sequence, is not part of the Ro/SS‐A ribonucleoprotein complex. In this study anti‐calreticulin autoantibody responses in serum samples from 18 infants with CCHB, their mothers and in a control group of 11 anti‐Ro/SS‐A or anti‐La/SS‐B positive infants without heart block and their mothers were analysed. Specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays were performed. Nine out of 18 sera with CCHB contained IgG anti‐calreticulin antibodies. Four sera of those with IgG antibodies also had IgM antibodies. One serum contained anti‐calreticulin IgM antibodies only. In the non‐CCHB group two sera were positive for IgG and one serum was positive for IgM anti‐calreticulin antibodies. Sera of healthy infants were negative both for anti‐IgG and anti‐IgM calreticulin antibodies. Calreticulin is involved in calcium storage and therefore anti‐calreticulin antibodies might influence the development of CCHB. The new finding of IgM autoantibodies and the observed differences in antibody response in infants and mothers support the hypothesis of a fetally mediated and passively acquired autoimmune disease.