Hydrolysis of tRNA with serum autoantibodies of patients with autoimmune and virus diseases

The specificity of RNA hydrolysis with catalytically active antibodies from the blood of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, autoimmune thyroi ditis, and virus hepatitis was studied. Yeast tRNA(Asp) human mitochondrial tRNA(Lys) (nonmodified and with point nucleotide substitutions), and their in vitro transcripts were used as substrates. Polyclonal antibodies displa yed different specificity at low salt concentrations and in the presence of Mg2+. The activity and specificity of antibodies markedly varied for indiv iduals, though their certain association with disease was revealed. Abzymes proved highly sensitive to minimal structural changes, including point nuc leotide substitutions, in substrate RNAs, and can be used ire studying the RNA structure.