title: A ribonucleic acid-specific antibody produced during autoimmune disease: evidence for nucleotide sequence specificity.
abstract: A hybridoma secreting RNA-binding autoantibody has been produced by fusion of spleen cells from autoimmune NZB/NZWF1 mice with drug-resistant IgG2b-producing myeloma cells from BALB/c mice. Studies on the specificity of the purified monoclonal autoantibody revealed: (a) absolute specificity for ribopolynucleotides as compared with deoxyribopolynucleotides; (b) specificity for single-stranded RNA as compared with double-stranded RNA; (c) high affinity for the random copolymer poly(G, C); and (d) preference for the random heteropolymer poly(G, C, U). These studies were complemented by stoichiometric measurements of the antibody-RNA complex and computer analysis of the abundance of various di-, tri- and tetranucleotide sequences in native RNA. Taken together, these data suggest that the antigenic determinant recognized by the monoclonal autoantibody is largely composed of a trinucleotide sequence of single-stranded RNA containing, G, C and U residues.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002417:Cattle; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D011131:Polyribonucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology; D012313:RNA / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D009696:Nucleic Acids; D011131:Polyribonucleotides; D012313:RNA