Antikeratin antibodies in serum and synovial fluid show specificity for rheumatoid arthritis in a study of connective tissue diseases.
Tests for antikeratin antibodies (AKA) were performed on 2152 disease-associated and control sera by indirect immunofluorescence (IF) on rat oesophagus substrate. The incidence of AKA was significantly raised in rheumatoid arthritis (37%) in comparison with systemic sclerosis (8%), psoriasis (7%), ankylosing spondylitis (6%), systemic lupus erythematosus (3%), and normal controls (2%). AKA were detected in synovial fluid obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (48%) but not from patients with other conditions. Further experiments on AKA-positive sera showed reactivity with stratum corneum of rabbit prepuce and lips. A specific rabbit antihuman keratin antiserum was shown, by IF and inhibition studies, to have a different specificity from that of spontaneous human AKA. AKA were associated with the presence of subcutaneous nodules in RA (p = 0.05), but not with Raynaud's phenomenon, Sjögren's syndrome, or HLA-DR4 positivity. Rheumatoid factor (RF) was not associated with AKA either in RA or in RF-positive disease controls.
Youinou
P
P
Le Goff
P
P
Colaco
C B
CB
Thivolet
J
J
Tater
D
D
Viac
J
J
Shipley
M
M
D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000276:immunology*; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000276:immunology; D012218:Rheumatoid Nodule / Q000276:immunology; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000276:immunology*
D001323:Autoantibodies; D007633:Keratins