title: Autoantibodies against the Hel-N1 RNA-binding protein among patients with lung carcinoma: an association with type I anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies.
abstract: Hel-N1 is a novel human complementary DNA encoding a neuronal RNA-binding protein which shares considerable sequence homology with the HuD protein, a target of type I anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies in patients with paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies against the Hel-N1 protein among patients with lung carcinoma, including those with paraneoplastic disorders. Sera from 45 patients with lung cancer (42 with small-cell carcinoma) and from 28 control patients with other neurological diseases were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by immunoblotting with recombinant Hel-N1 protein. Sixteen of the 45 lung cancer patients (14 with small-cell and 2 with undifferentiated carcinoma) had paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis and high-titer type I anti-neuronal nuclear antibodies; sera from each of these 16 patients also showed strong reactivity with Hel-N1 protein. The other 29 lung cancer patients, all of whom had neurological dysfunction and 24 of whom had known or suspected paraneoplastic disorders, lacked the type I antibody by standard testing. The mean anti-Hel-N1 titer (by ELISA) of sera from patients negative for type I anti-neuronal nuclear antibody was significantly less than that of the patients positive for the type I antibody, but exceeded that of the control patients with other neurological diseases (p < 0.001). Fifteen (52%) of the 29 type I antibody-negative patients had positive serum anti-Hel-N1 titers which did not overlap the high anti-Hel-N1 titers of the 16 type I antibody-positive patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Dropcho
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000032:analysis*; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067777:ELAV-Like Protein 2; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067777:ELAV-Like Protein 2; C086811:ELAVL2 protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins