title: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL44 and UL57 specific antibody responses in anti-HCMV-positive patients with systemic sclerosis.
abstract: The role of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been postulated as a trigger of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of antibodies against HCMV UL44 and UL57 antigens not tested in the past. Sixty SSc patients, 40 multiple sclerosis and 17 normal controls (NCs), all anti-HCMV positive, were tested by immunoblotting. Reactivity to HCMV antigens, expressed as arbitrary units (AUs), was assessed for correlation with clinical and immunological parameters, including types of SSc-related autoantibodies. Anti-UL44 and anti-UL57 HCMV antibodies were present in 3/60 (5%) and 58/60 (96.7%) SSc patients, respectively (p < 0.001). Anti-UL57 antibodies were present in 35/40 (87.5%) MS patients and 16/17 (94.1%) NCs (SSc vs MS, MS vs NC, p = ns). Strong (50-75 AU) and very strong (75-100 AU) anti-UL57 immunoreactivity was found in 24 (41.4%) and 22 (37.9%) SSc patients, respectively (p = ns). Dilution experiments showed anti-UL57 antibody persistence in up to 1/5000. Overall, there was no difference in the frequency or the magnitude of anti-UL57 immunoreactivity between diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis and limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis patients (96.67 vs 96.67%; 65.45 ± 20.19 vs 64.31 ± 21.11 AU, p > 0.05) but strong anti-UL57 reactivity were more frequent in SSc compared to NCs (p = 0.007). Anti-UL57 reactivity was not inhibited by SSc-specific autoantigens. Anti-UL57 seropositivity did not correlate with demographic, clinical or immunological features of SSc. Anti-HCMV UL57 antibodies are universally present in anti-HCMV-positive patients with SSc, while those against UL44 are rarely seen. Because anti-UL57 lack disease specificity and are not involved in cross-reactive responses, their immunopathogenetic potential is to be questioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.|Cellular Immunotherapy and Molecular Immunodiagnostics, Biomedical Section, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH)-Institute for Research and Technology-Thessaly (IRETETH), 41222, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Emmanouela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marou
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.|Cellular Immunotherapy and Molecular Immunodiagnostics, Biomedical Section, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH)-Institute for Research and Technology-Thessaly (IRETETH), 41222, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liaskos
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.
authors.forename: Theodora
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Simopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.|Cellular Immunotherapy and Molecular Immunodiagnostics, Biomedical Section, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH)-Institute for Research and Technology-Thessaly (IRETETH), 41222, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Efthymiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University General Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, 40500, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Efthymios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dardiotis
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katsiari
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Euroimmun, 23560, Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Scheper
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Euroimmun, 23560, Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University General Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly, 40500, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hadjigeorgiou
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece.|Cellular Immunotherapy and Molecular Immunodiagnostics, Biomedical Section, Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH)-Institute for Research and Technology-Thessaly (IRETETH), 41222, Larissa, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bogdanos
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Viopolis, 40500, Larissa, Thessaly, Greece. lsakkas@med.uth.gr.
authors.forename: Lazaros I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Sakkas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003587:Cytomegalovirus; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C072217:ICP36 protein, Cytomegalovirus; D014764:Viral Proteins
keywords: Autoantibodies; Immunology; Infections; Scleroderma