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In vitro complement activation by antinuclear antibodies in the epidermis from patients with systemic sclerosis
Author(s) -
REIMER G.,
LIEBEL G.,
HORNSTEIN O. P.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
british journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.304
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1365-2133
pISSN - 0007-0963
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2133.1984.tb04040.x
Subject(s) - anti nuclear antibody , scleroderma (fungus) , epidermis (zoology) , complement system , medicine , in vitro , antibody , complement (music) , immunology , pathology , dermatology , chemistry , autoantibody , anatomy , phenotype , biochemistry , inoculation , complementation , gene
SUMMARY Skin biopsies from twenty‐one systemic sclerosis patients with significant serum fluorescent antinuclear antibody (FANA) titres (more than 1:40) were examined by direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and by in vitro immunofluorescent complement (C) activation (C+DIF). Eight patients showed epidermal nuclear ANA deposits by DIF. In vitro complement activation was achieved in epidermal nuclei from all eight patients. In addition, one patient with diffuse scleroderma revealed a dense speckled, and two patients with the CREST syndrome a discrete speckled, epidermal nuclear staining pattern by C+DIF. The latter two patients showed high titres of anticentromere antibody in their sera. We consider that the C+DIF findings of these two patients with the CREST syndrome reflect binding of serum anticentromere antibodies to their antigens in vivo .