Anti-GOR and hepatitis C virus in autoimmune liver diseases.
Anti-GOR is an autoantibody found in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We have studied the specificity of this antibody for HCV infection in various groups of autoimmune liver diseases. Anti-HCV was detected by a second generation HCV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 14 of 29 patients with liver-kidney-microsomal (LKM-1) -antibody-positive autoimmune hepatitis type 2 and in all 6 control patients with HCV-RNA-positive chronic hepatitis C. Anti-HCV was not found in those with antinuclear-antibody-positive autoimmune hepatitis type 1 (10 patients), with soluble-liver-protein-antibody-positive autoimmune hepatitis type 3 (8), with primary biliary cirrhosis (9), with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (10), or in healthy controls (13). Anti-GOR was detected in 11 of 14 patients with autoimmune hepatitis type 2 who were all positive for anti-HCV but only in 1 of 15 LKM-1 patients who were negative for anti-HCV. We did not find anti-GOR in any other group of autoimmune liver disease, SLE, or control sera, but this antibody was detected in 3 of 6 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Autoimmune hepatitis type 2 patients who were anti-GOR positive and anti-HCV positive were less likely to be female, were older (p less than 0.001), and had lower LKM-1 antibody titres (p less than 0.001), lower disease activity, and responded less effectively to immuno- suppression than did those who were anti-HCV negative/anti-GOR negative. The findings show that anti-GOR reflects HCV-specific autoimmunity. HCV seems to induce autoimmunity to both GOR (an HCV-specific autoepitope) and LKM-1 (an epitope that is also recognised by autoimmune hepatitis sera of a different cause). Anti-GOR and LKM-1 antibodies contribute to a better differentiation of chronic hepatitis, a finding that has therapeutic implications.
Michel
G
G
Abbott Laboratories, European Research and Development, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Ritter
A
A
Gerken
G
G
Meyer zum Büschenfelde
K H
KH
Decker
R
R
Manns
M P
MP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D008297:Male; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000276:immunology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors
D001323:Autoantibodies; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies