title: The absence of factor B activation products in scleroderma.
abstract: Previous investigators have reported the presence of complement activation products in scleroderma. Using an assay consisting of isoelectric focussing followed by immunofixation (IEF/IF) for alternative pathway activation product Ba, and an ELISA for C3d that we developed for evaluating lupus plasmas, we assayed 48 plasmas from patients with diffuse cutaneous scleroderma, 16 patients with the limited CREST variant, 2 patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and 4 patients with Raynaud's disease. Ba was not detected in any patient's plasma. Only one plasma from a patient with CREST contained elevated levels of C3d. We cannot reconcile the absence of B activation products in our patients with scleroderma with the results of the previous report, and conclude that further studies are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY 10029.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valeriano-Marcet
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Spiera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003179:Complement C3b / Q000032:analysis*; D015933:Complement C3d / Q000032:analysis; D011415:Complement Factor B; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008947:Mixed Connective Tissue Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis*; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; C051367:complement C3bBa complex; D003179:Complement C3b; D015933:Complement C3d; D011415:Complement Factor B