AUTOANTIBODIES TO COMPONENTS OF THE MITOTIC APPARATUS

Autoantibodies directed to a variety of cellular antigens and organell es are a feature of autoimmune diseases. They have proven useful in a clinical setting to establish diagnosis, estimate prognosis, follow di sease progression, alter therapy, and initiate new investigations. Cel lular and molecular biologists have used autoantibodies as probes to i dentify molecules involved in key cellular processes. One of the most interesting sets of autoantibodies are those that target antigens with in the mitotic apparatus (MA). The MA includes chromosomes, spindle mi crotubules and centrosomes. The identification, localization, function , and clinical relevance of MA autoantigens is the focus of this revie w.