title: Anti-Ro/SSA and -La/SSB antibodies in patients with connective tissue diseases.
abstract: The frequency of anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies in patients from Japan with Sjögren's syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), polymyositis-dermatomyositis (PM-DM), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and blood donors is reported. Anti-La/SSB ab was especially detected in patients with severe glandular and extraglandular manifestation and could be found in sera years prior to the confirmation of Sjögren's syndrome. The purified Ro/SSA antigen consisted of 60 k peptide and 16 k RNA while the La/SSB antigen consisted of 41 k and 29 k peptides. Some molecular association seems to exist between the peptides and corresponding IgG anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies.
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology; D003240:Connective Tissue Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D003882:Dermatomyositis / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; C035356:SS-A antibodies; C035357:SS-B antibodies