title: Anti-KS: identification of autoantibodies to asparaginyl-transfer RNA synthetase associated with interstitial lung disease.
abstract: Autoantibodies to five of the aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetases have been described, and each is associated with a syndrome of inflammatory myopathy with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and arthritis. Serum KS, from a patient with ILD and inflammatory arthritis without evidence of myositis, immunoprecipitated a tRNA that was distinct from that precipitated by any described anti-synthetase or other reported tRNA-related Abs, along with a protein of 65 kDa. KS serum and IgG fraction each showed significant (88%) inhibition of asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase (AsnRS) activity, but not of any of the other 19 aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase activities. Among 884 patients with connective tissue diseases tested, only two other sera were found to immunoprecipitate tRNAs and proteins of identical gel mobility. These two and KS showed identical immunodiffusion lines using HeLa cell extract. The new sera significantly inhibited AsnRS without significant effects on other synthetases tested. Both patients had ILD but neither had evidence of myositis. These data strongly suggest that these three sera have autoantibodies to AsnRS, representing a sixth anti-synthetase. Anti-KS was more closely associated with ILD than with myositis. Further study of this Abs might prove useful in dissecting the stimuli responsible for the genesis of anti-synthetase autoantibodies.
authors.affiliation: Section of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. mhirakat@mc.med.keio.ac.jp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirakata
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suwa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kron
authors.forename: E P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Trieu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mimori
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akizuki
authors.forename: I N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Targoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology*; D001226:Aspartate-tRNA Ligase; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D001667:Binding, Competitive / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D017563:Lung Diseases, Interstitial / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012346:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl