Differential Immuno-Reactivity to Genomic DNA, RNA and Mitochondrial DNA is Associated with Auto-Immunity

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry

关键词: Auto-antibody;    Auto-antigens;    Auto-immune disease;    Biomarker;    Mitochondria;    Nucleic acid;    Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE);   

DOI  :  10.1159/000369663

学科分类：分子生物学，细胞生物学和基因

来源: S Karger AG

【 摘 要 】

Background Circulating auto-reactive antibodies are hallmark features of auto-immune diseases, however little is known with respect to the specificity of such bio-markers. In the present study, we investigated the specificity of anti-nucleic acid antibodies in the blood of subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and healthy controls. Methods Sera from 12 SLE cases and 8 controls were evaluated for immuno-reactivity to purified RNA, DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) by enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). Results As expected, immuno-reactivity to total nucleic acids was significantly higher in subjects with SLE when compared to healthy controls, however a clear distinction was observed among the various nucleic acid sub-types, with sera from SLE subjects displaying the greatest immuno-reactivity to RNA followed by mtDNA and then total DNA. Conclusion The identification of auto-reactive antibodies can serve as highly sensitive biomarkers, although their specificity may not always allow diagnostic certainty. The knowledge that auto-antibodies in subjects with SLE display differential immuno-reactivity may help to improve existing diagnostics and may lead to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of auto-immune disorders.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC-ND