title: Anticentromere-A and anticentromere-B antibodies show high concordance and similar clinical associations in patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity and the clinical usefulness of parallel anticentromere-A and anticentromere-B antibody (anti-CENP-A and anti-CENP-B) testing in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sera from 280 consecutive patients with SSc and 259 controls were tested for the presence of anti-CENP-A and anti-CENP-B antibodies by a monospecific line immunoblot assay (LIA) with recombinant human centromere proteins A and B as well as by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). Crossreactivity and possible associations with clinical manifestations were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both antibodies revealed a diagnostic sensitivity of 36.8% and a specificity of > 97% for SSc, with a high concordance rate of 94.3% despite different amino acid sequences of the antigens and absence of crossreactivity. There was a significant correlation of the antibody levels measured by LIA. Both antibodies were associated with similar clinical manifestations and identified patients with limited disease and rather mild skin sclerosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Detected by LIA, anti-CENP-A and anti-CENP-B antibodies show high concordance in patients with SSc and share significant associations to clinical manifestations, but are not completely identical. Detection of both antibodies in parallel may slightly increase the diagnostic sensitivity for SSc.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité-University Medicine, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanke
authors.forename: Mike O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Claudia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Brueckner
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Anthonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schlumberger
authors.forename: Falk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hiepe
authors.forename: Gerd-R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Burmester
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Riemekasten
mesh_terms: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000076247:Centromere Protein A; D051936:Centromere Protein B / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001324:Autoantigens; C000619700:CENPA protein, human; D000076247:Centromere Protein A; D051936:Centromere Protein B; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; C538950:anticentromere antibody