title: Non-muscle myosin as target antigen for human autoantibodies in patients with hepatitis C virus-associated chronic liver diseases.
abstract: Three patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related chronic liver disease were shown to have autoantibodies strongly reacting with cytoskeletal fibres of non-muscle cells. The heavy chain of non-muscle myosin microfilament was the main target for those autoantibodies, as determined by (i) cell and tissue immunofluorescence studies showing colocalization with an anti-myosin antibody prototype; (ii) primary reactivity in immunoblotting with a 200-kD protein, using either MOLT-4 cells, human platelets, or affinity-purified non-muscle myosin as antigen extract; and (iii) immunoblotting of similar immunoreactive fragments in papain-digested MOLT-4 cell extracts, by using those human sera and antibody prototype. Autoantibodies to non-muscle myosin heavy chain were not previously reported in patients with chronic liver diseases, especially in those associated with HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: W.M. Keck Autoimmune Disease Centre, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: von Mühlen
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Peebles
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiyosawa
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009218:Myosins / Q000276:immunology*; D010449:Peptide Mapping
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D009218:Myosins