Antibodies to human cytomegalovirus protein UL83 in systemic sclerosis.
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.
Namboodiri
A M
AM
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425-2230, USA.
Rocca
K M
KM
Kuwana
M
M
Pandey
J P
JP
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*
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