N. Yukiko, Immune responses to SS-A 52-kDa and 60-kDa proteins and to SS-B 50-kDa protein in mothers of infants with neonatal lupus erythematosus, BR J DERM, 142(5), 2000, pp. 908-912
Mothers who have anti-SS-A/Ro and anti-SS-B/La antibodies hare a greater ri
sk of bearing infants with neonatal lupus erythematosus (NLE). However, mos
t mothers with anti-SS-A/Ro and anti-SS-B/La antibodies give birth to infan
ts with no evidence of NLE, We studied mothers who had the combination of c
linical evidence of connective tissue disorder, positive antinuclear antibo
dy and positive anti-SS-A/Ro and/or anti-SS-B/La antibodies. We analysed SS
-A/Ro and SS-B/La antibody responses to recombinant 60-, 52- and 50-kDa pro
teins in eight mothers of NLE infants and 19 mothers whose children did not
have NLE. Molecular analysis of the anti-SS-A/Ro and anti-SS-B/La antibodi
es was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant 6
0-, 52- and 50-kDa proteins. The mothers of children with cutaneous NLE wer
e all positive for a high titre of 50-kDa protein. Mothers of children with
NLE with complete heart block (CHB) were positive for 52- and 60-kDa prote
ins. We conjecture that anti-SS-B/La antibody influences the development of
cutaneous NLE, and that anti-SS-A/Ro antibody influences the development o
f NLE with CHB.