title: Antibodies to human cytomegalovirus protein UL83 in systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether elevated levels of antibodies to HCMV protein UL83 were present in patients with SSc and if their prevalence was associated with major SSc-associated autoantibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 253 Caucasian subjects (110 SSc patients and 143 controls). IgG antibodies to UL83 were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibodies to centromere and RNA polymerase (RNAP) were determined by indirect immunofluorescence and immnoprecipitation methods, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean level of anti-UL83 antibodies in the sera of SSc patients as a whole was significantly higher than that in control subjects (14.75 vs 10.6 units/microl, p = 0.002). Both subgroups of patients contributed to this variation: compared to controls, anti-UL83 antibody levels were higher in diffuse (16.32 vs 10.6 units/microl, p = 0.012) as well as in those with the limited form of the disease (13.95 vs 10.6 units/microl, p = 0.015). Anti-UL83 antibodies were not associated with major SSc associated autoantibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Humoral immunity to HCMV protein UL83 may be relevant to the etiopathogenesis of scleroderma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425-2230, USA.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Namboodiri
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuwana
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pandey
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002503:Centromere / Q000276:immunology; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I / Q000276:immunology; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C065418:cytomegalovirus matrix protein 65kDa; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I