title: Serum autoantibodies reacting with the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor protein (hepatic lectin) in acute and chronic liver disorders.
abstract: Circulating autoantibodies reacting with affinity-purified, hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor protein, hepatic lectin (HL), were detected by radioimmunoassay in 15 (83%) of 18 patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (AI-CAH) who had active disease, at titres that showed a positive correlation (P less than 0.05) with severity of periportal inflammation assessed histologically. In contrast, 10 AI-CAH patients whose disease was in remission were all anti-HL seronegative. Anti-HL was also detected in 16 (73%) of 22 patients with hepatitis B virus-related CAH-a similar frequency to that in active AI-CAH but at significantly lower (P less than 0.005) titres. Only 1 of 8 patients with chronic active liver disease due to presumed non-A, non-B (NANB) viral infection and 5 (22%) of 23 with primary biliary cirrhosis were anti-HL seropositive (P less than 0.001 vs active AI-CAH and HBV-CAH) and there was no correlation with severity of periportal inflammation. Anti-HL antibodies were also found in sera from 7 (35%) of 20 patients with acute virus B hepatitis (AVH-B) but were not detected in 10 patients with AVH-A nor in 12 with AVH due to presumed NANB infection. Anti-HL was not found in sera of 12 patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. Hepatic lectin, a highly purifiable, liver-specific cell surface component, by analogy with the acetylcholine and thyrotropin receptors which are, respectively, targets of the pathogenetically-related autoimmune reactions in myasthenia gravis and autoimmune thyroid disease, may be an important target of autoreactions in liver disease.
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic