title: Ribonucleoprotein complexes as autoantigens.
abstract: Many intracellular proteins and nucleic acids, that are involved in important biosynthetic pathways, are targeted by autoantibodies occurring spontaneously in the sera of patients with systemic autoimmune diseases. Frequently, the autoantigens are assembled into multicomponent complexes containing both nucleic acid(s) and proteins. Recently, progress has been made in the study of autoantigenic ribonucleoprotein complexes, the most important of which are spliceosomal ribonucleoproteins, nucleolar ribonucleoproteins, Ro/La ribonucleoproteins and complexes of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and tRNA. In addition to new structural and functional information, important results have been obtained on epitope spreading, as well as on a potential role for apoptosis during the development of an autoimmune response against these complexes.
authors.affiliation: University of Nijmegen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: van Venrooij
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Pruijn
mesh_terms: D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D017381:Spliceosomes / Q000276:immunology; D000097585:SS-B Antigen; D000099207:SS-A Antigen
chemical_list: D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases; D001324:Autoantigens; D020733:RNA, Small Cytoplasmic; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D000097585:SS-B Antigen; D000099207:SS-A Antigen; C116006:RO60 protein, human