Positive correlation between H,K-adenosine triphosphatase autoantibodies and Helicobacter pylori antibodies in patients with pernicious anemia.
BACKGROUND
Helicobacter pylori is a major cause of gastritis, and the parietal cell H,K-adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) is a major autoantigen in autoimmune atrophic corpus gastritis, which may eventually lead to pernicious anemia and/or neuropathy. Whether the bacterium induces the autoimmune response is unknown.


METHODS
By means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay the occurrence of antibodies against porcine H,K-ATPase and H. pylori was determined in sera from 30 patients with pernicious anemia.


RESULTS
All sera scored positive against H,K-ATPase, and 25 (83%) scored positive against H. pylori. The titers of antibodies against both antigen preparations inversely correlated with the duration of disease. A possible common epitope in the antigen preparations was tested with a competition assay. There was no indication of a common epitope in either human or porcine H,K-ATPase and H. pylori.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a positive correlation and a high incidence of antibodies against H,K-ATPase and H. pylori in sera from patients with pernicious anemia. These antibodies recognized different epitopes.
Ma
J Y
JY
Dept. of Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden.
Borch
K
K
Sjöstrand
S E
SE
Janzon
L
L
Mårdh
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000752:Anemia, Pernicious / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D005260:Female; D005757:Gastritis, Atrophic / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D017506:H(+)-K(+)-Exchanging ATPase / Q000276:immunology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013552:Swine
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001323:Autoantibodies; D017506:H(+)-K(+)-Exchanging ATPase