title: Identification of retroviral conserved pol sequences in serum of mixed connective tissue disease and systemic sclerosis patients.
abstract: Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) expression has been suspected as a factor participating in the development of autoimmune diseases. Employing the dot blot hybridisation, we observed that 90.9% of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) (n = 22) patients exhibited the presence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) conserved pol sequence in DNA isolated from serum. The same investigation conducted in the group of systemic sclerosis (SSc) (n = 79) patients identified a conserved retroviral pol sequence in 34.6% of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) positive (n = 52) and 40.7% of ANA negative (n = 27) patients. However, 100% of anti-U1-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) positive SSc (n = 9) patients exhibited the presence of HIV-1 conserved pol sequence. Our findings suggest that the presence of retroviral sequence in serum of MCTD and SSc patients may correlate with development of autoimmune response directed against U1-70 kDa polypeptide antigen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Janusz
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prokop
authors.forename: Pawel P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Jagodzinski
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I; D005260:Female; D015684:Gene Products, pol / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008947:Mixed Connective Tissue Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D017412:Ribonucleoprotein, U1 Small Nuclear / Q000276:immunology; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001324:Autoantigens; D015684:Gene Products, pol; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D017412:Ribonucleoprotein, U1 Small Nuclear; C048100:Scl 70 antigen, human; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I