title: Autoantibodies to DFS70/LEDGF are increased in alopecia areata patients.
abstract: Alopecia areata (AA) has been suspected to be an autoimmune disease, although there is no distinct evidence, we investigated the relationship between AA and autoantibodies against dense fine speckles 70 kDa (DFS70) in 111 patients with alopecia and 105 healthy controls. The sera from 59 out of 111 (53%) Japanese alopecia patients were positive for anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), as compared to the sera of 16 out of 105 (15%) healthy controls (p < 0.001). Twenty percent (22/111) of the alopecia patients were shown to be positive for the prevalence of anti-DFS70 antibodies, as compared to 8% (8/105) of the healthy controls (p < 0.01). IgG subclass analysis by ELISA showed that IgG1 and IgG2-anti-DFS70 antibodies were dominant in alopecia patients. The DFS70 gene expression in the hair structures was clearly detected in both those with and those without the anti-DFS70 antibody by RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical techniques showed that the DFS70 was localized predominantly in the outer root sheath (ORS) cells. The elevated anti-DFS70 antibodies in alopecia patients and the localization of the DFS70 in the ORS suggest that autoantibodies against the DFS70 are related to the etiology in a certain population of AA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Connective Tissue Disease & Autoimmunity, Department of Dermatology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Miyako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kazumitsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiura
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimomura
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aoki
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasaka
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Yoshinao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muro
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007106:Immune Sera; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C504649:PSIP1 protein, human; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C119380:lens epithelium-derived growth factor