DETECTION OF POLYANION-RESTRICTED ANTIHISTONE ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

The nature of the antibodies responsible for lupus erythematosus (LE) cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains obscure, We examin ed whether polyanion-restricted anti-histone antibodies were present i n serum of patients with SLE using Western blotting analysis, Dextran sulfate or alginate was used as a polyanion compound in place of DNA, Antibodies which recognized dextran sulfate-histone complexes were pre sent in serum of patients with SLE (17/34, 50%). These antibodies were detected in most SLE patients positive for LE cells (17/18, 94%) but not in those negative for LE cells or in patients with other collagen diseases, Similar results were obtained using alginate-histone complex es as antigens for Western blotting analysis, The antibodies to dextra n sulfate-histone or alginate-histone complexes in serum of SLE patien ts were completely absorbed by treatment of serum with DNA-histone com plexes, while they were unaffected by treatment with DNA only, The pre sence of antibodies to free histones and dextran sulfate-histone compl exes did not seem to be related to the titer of anti-single stranded D NA antibody and anti-double stranded DNA antibody, We demonstrated the presence of polyanion-restricted antibodies in SLE, which may be resp onsible for the LE factor.