title: Precipitating antibodies to rabbit thymus extractable antigens in chronic liver disease: relationship with anti-actin antibodies.
abstract: Using counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE), serum antibodies to rabbit thymus extractable antigens were detected in 15% (38/259) of patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) of various aetiologies and 33% (41/124) of patients with miscellaneous connective tissue diseases (CTD). A remarkable diversity of precipitating systems was apparent among cases with the two classes of disorders. All the five systems found in CLD (XR, XR2, SS-B, XR3, XR4) were associated mostly with immunological hepatic disorders. In the 52 autoimmune hepatitis cases, XR was mainly detected (29%), whereas in the 82 primary biliary cirrhosis patients the whole spectrum of reactivities was represented (XR: 11%, XR2: 10%, SS-B and XR3: 2% each, XR4: 1%). XR proved to be closely associated with smooth muscle antibodies (SMA, detected by indirect immunofluorescence on rat kidney sections) both qualitatively and quantitatively. Since all SMA positive sera with anti-actin specificity (SMAT, SMAG) were XR positive and purified actin could absorb out XR CIE reactivity, the hypothesis is made that a cross-reaction occurs between XR antigen and actin epitope(s).
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Patologia Medica, Cattedra di Clinica Medica II, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cassani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fusconi
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Selleri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baffoni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pisi
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D003378:Counterimmunoelectrophoresis; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D011234:Precipitins / Q000032:analysis*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D011234:Precipitins