Antibodies to ubiquitin in relation to Yersinia infection status in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
The aim of this study was to investigate IgG and IgM antibodies to ubiquitin in relation to Yersinia enterocolitica infection status in patients with AS. Twenty-eight AS patients (M:F 24:4, mean age 43.9 yrs, range 22-70 yrs, mean disease duration 15.9 yrs) and 35 healthy controls (M:F 31:4, mean age 52.1 yrs, range 22-80 yrs) were included. The levels of antibodies to ubiquitin and Yersinia O:3 and O:9 antigens were measured using specific ELISA. The results were expressed as optical density (OD) ratio. Antibody levels were assumed increased when the OD ratio was higher than mean OD ratio + 3SD in the control group. IgM antibodies to ubiquitin were found in five patients and one control ( P < 0.05, Fisher's exact test). Anti-ubiquitin antibodies of IgG class were found in two cases, one AS patient and one control (NS). IgG antibodies to Yersinia serotypes O:3 and O:9 were present in eight and five AS patients, respectively ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.05 vs. controls, Fisher's exact test). No IgM antibodies to Yersinia were found. High levels of IgG antibodies to Y. enterocolitica serotype O:3 were found in three out of five patients with high levels of IgM antibodies to ubiquitin, compared with five out of 23 patients with low levels of anti-ubiquitin antibodies ( P=0.1231, NS). Antibodies to Yersinia serotype O:9 were found in three out of five patients with IgM antibodies to ubiquitin, compared to two out of 23 patients with low serum levels of IgM antibodies to ubiquitin ( P < 0.05). The results suggest that Y. enterocolitica infection may induce antibodies to ubiquitin in a subset of patients with AS. This may be explained by the involvement of a newly discovered ubiquitin-dependent mechanism related to Y. enterocolitica virulence.
Hrycaj
P
P
Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Winogrady 144, 61-626 Poznań, Poland. phrycaj@icpnet.pl
Łacki
J K
JK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D025801:Ubiquitin / Q000276:immunology*; D015009:Yersinia Infections; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D025801:Ubiquitin