title: Humoral immunity to link protein in patients with inflammatory joint disease, osteoarthritis, and in non-arthritic controls.
abstract: Cartilage link protein of high purity was prepared and used in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibodies to link protein were sought in the sera of 98 patients with rheumatic disorders; 38 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 29 with osteoarthritis (OA), 13 with psoriatic arthritis (PA), nine with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), nine with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and in 83 healthy controls. Antibodies were detected in all groups with the following prevalences: 21/83 normals, 9/38 RA, 7/29 OA, 7/13 PA, 3/9 AS, and 4/9 SLE. No statistically significant differences existed between the groups with regard to either prevalence or mean titre of anti-link antibodies. Serum antibodies to proteoglycan link protein appear to be no more common in patients with rheumatic disorders than in healthy controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, Shropshire.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Ashton
mesh_terms: D001168:Arthritis / Q000276:immunology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000276:immunology*; D011506:Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011509:Proteoglycans; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000276:immunology; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000276:immunology; D000099249:Proteoglycan Link Protein
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D000099249:Proteoglycan Link Protein