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Characterization of anti‐histone antibodies in patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis
Author(s) -
CHEN MING,
SHIRAI MUTSUNORI,
CZAJA ALBERT J,
KUROKOHCHI KAZUTAKA,
ARICHI TATSUMI,
ARIMA KEIJI,
KODAMA TAKAHIRO,
NISHIOKA MIKIO
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of gastroenterology and hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.214
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1440-1746
pISSN - 0815-9319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1746.1998.tb00673.x
Subject(s) - medicine , autoimmune hepatitis , antibody , immunology , autoantibody , hepatitis , virology
We have recently found that antibodies to total histones are common in a group of American patients with type 1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). In an attempt to determine the profile and clinical association of anti‐histone antibody (AHA), 45 Japanese AIH patients were studied for serum isotypic reactivity with individual histones (H1, H2A, H2B, H3, H4) by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and western blotting. The results revealed that 40% of sera had reactivities with at least one of individual histones and that the antibodies were detected in all three classes of immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA). Immunoglobulin G type anti‐H3 showed the dominant reactivity and it characterized 72% of sera with AHA. The titre of anti‐H3 decreased significantly ( P < 0.0075) after steroid therapy and the index of decrease for anti‐H3 was correlated in individuals with that for serum aminotransferase. In general, patients with AHA showed higher serum level of alanine aminotransferase ( P < 0.05), immunoglobulin G ( P < 0.025), and higher frequency of A2‐DR4 haplotype (53 vs 17%) than their seronegative counterparts. However, the titre of AHA was low in this disease condition and histone class‐specific antibodies did not distinguish patients with distinctive clinical features, although patients with anti‐H3 tended to be younger than those without AHA.