title: Autoantibodies against a serine tRNA-protein complex implicated in cotranslational selenocysteine insertion.
abstract: We describe an autoantibody specificity present in a subgroup of patients with a severe form of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. These antibodies precipitate a 90-nucleotide RNA from human whole cell extracts and recognize a 48-kDa polypeptide in immunoblotting assays. The RNA is a UGA suppressor serine tRNA that carries selenocysteine (tRNA[Ser]Sec)), as shown by sequence analysis. The protein does not appear to be seryl-tRNA synthetase; rather, it is an excellent candidate for a factor involved in cotranslational selenocysteine incorporation in human cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Sant Pau Hospital, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gelpi
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sontheimer
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Sanchez
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000737:chemistry*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D016153:Genes, Suppressor; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012362:RNA, Transfer, Ser / Q000378:metabolism*; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017279:Selenocysteine / Q000378:metabolism*; D046249:Transfer RNA Aminoacylation
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D012362:RNA, Transfer, Ser; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D017279:Selenocysteine