W. Pollock et Bh. Toh, Routine immunofluorescence detection of Ro/SS-A autoantibody using HEp-2 cells transfected with human 60 kDa Ro/SS-A, J CLIN PATH, 52(9), 1999, pp. 684-687
Citations number
11
Categorie Soggetti
Research/Laboratory Medicine & Medical Tecnology","Medical Research Diagnosis & Treatment
Background-Ro/SS-A autoantibodies associated with systemic lupus erythemato
sus (SLE) and Sjogren syndrome may be missed during routine screening for a
ntinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) by immunofluorescence using HEp-2 cells.
Aims-To investigate the use of HEp-2 cells transfected with human 60 kDa Ro
/SS-A for routine detection of these antibodies.
Methods-10 500 sera were screened at a dilution of 1:200 for Ro/SS-A antibo
dies, identified by intense immunofluorescence staining in 10-15% of hypere
xpressing cells of either the nucleus and nucleolus combined or the nucleus
alone.
Results-Ro/SS-A antibodies were identified in 160/2100 ANA positive sera (8
%), of which seven were ANA negative (titre < 200) and 33 had weak ANA titr
es (200) in 85-90% of non-hyperexpressing "background" cells. Enzyme linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confirmed the presence of Ro/SS-A antibodies i
n 110 newly diagnosed Ro/SS-A positive sera. Of these, 50 reacted with Ro/S
S-A, 51 with Ro/SS-A and La/SS-B, and nine with Ro/SS-A and other extractab
le nuclear antigen (ENA) specificities. Fifteen sera which did not show Ro/
SS-A antibodies by immunofluorescence tested positive for Ro/SS-A by immuno
diffusion, counter-immunoelectrophesis, or ELISA; of these, 14 had ANA titr
es > 200. Clinical data from 95 Ro/SS-A positive patients showed that 52% h
ad SLE, 24% Sjogren syndrome, 8% rheumatoid arthritis, and 16% other diseas
es.
Conclusions-(1) HEp-2 cells transfected with human 60 kDa Ro/SSA are useful
for routine immunofluorescence detection for Ro/SS-A antibodies with a pos
itive predictive value of 100%; (2) sera positive for Ro/SS-A antibodies by
immunofluorescence should be tested for ENA by other methods because > 50%
of these sera will have another ENA reactivity in addition to Ro/SS-A; (3)
detection of Ro/SS-A by immunofluorescence may be missed in the presence o
f high titre ANAs; (4) with a detection sensitivity of 91%, a negative immu
nofluorescence result for Ro/SS-A does not exclude the presence of this aut
oantibody.