RADIOIMMUNOPRECIPITATION AND IMMUNOBLOT STUDIES OF ANTIBODIES TO RUBELLA-VIRUS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE

Patients with autoimmune chronic active hepatitis (AICAH) and some oth er chronic liver disorders often have very high titres of rubella HI a ntibodies. In the present study sera from 46 patients with chronic liv er disease and controls were examined for rubella antibodies using rad ioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) and Western blot. RIPA appeared to be more suitable than Western blot for the study of the individual ant ibody specificities provided that proteins (possibly actin) interferin g with the resolution of the E2 glycoprotein band are identified. It w as shown that patients with high rubella HI titres reacted strongly ag ainst the E1 glycoprotein and in general also against the core protein (C). Reactivity to the E2 glycoprotein was detected with all sera fro m patients with chronic liver disease but varied more in strength. Thr ee patients with post-acute rubella showed very faint E2 reactivity, b ut strong E1 and C reactivities. Patients with primary biliary cirrhos is had normal HI titres and showed no increase in reactivity in RIPA. The present findings show that patients with chronic liver disease and high rubella HI antibody titres exhibit an enhanced specific antibody response to rubella virus structural proteins.