title: Autoantibodies against eukaryotic protein L7 in patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus and progressive systemic sclerosis: frequency and correlation with clinical, serological and genetic parameters. The SLE Study Group.
abstract: Recent studies have shown that sera of patients suffering from systemic autoimmune diseases contain autoantibodies directed against the eukaryotic ribosomal protein L7 [1]. In the present study we screened a large panel of sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for the presence of anti-L7 autoantibodies and their relationship to clinical, serological and genetic parameters of SLE. By means of an ELISA employing recombinant protein L7 as antigen we detected anti-L7 autoantobodies in 172 of 506 SLE sera (34%). Negative correlations were observed between the presence of anti-L7 autoantibodies, serum IgG levels and proteinuria; a potentially positive relationship existed with lung fibrosis. In order to analyse further this possibility we screened sera of 129 patients suffering from progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) for anti-L7 reactivity; 45 of these patients had lung fibrosis. Of the PSS patients, 41% exhibited anti-L7 autoantibodies, but positive reactions were evenly distributed among patients with and without lung fibrosis. Protein L7 thus represents a major autoantigen of systemic autoimmune diseases, but does not so far define a distinct subpopulation of patients.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Immunologie, Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Konstanz, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neu
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: von Mikecz
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Hemmerich
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Peter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fricke
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deicher
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Genth
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Krawinkel
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; C053634:RPL7 protein, human; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins