SR proteins are autoantigens in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus- Importance of phosphoepitopes

Objective. To determine whether members of the highly phosphorylated SR pro tein family are autoantigens and, if so, to determine the frequency and mol ecular basis of antigen recognition. Methods. Native human SR proteins were purified to homogeneity from HeLa ce lls, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed. Furthe r studies employed immunoblotting of both phosphorylated and dephosphorylat ed SR proteins. Results. Anti-SR protein reactivity was frequently detected in the sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sera from 52% of the SLE patients in a group of patients with a variety of auto-immune and other dis orders (n = 137) and from 50% of the SLE patients in a separate group (n = 102) were positive in an ELISA. In contrast, sera from patients with other disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and primary antiphospholipid syndro me, reacted infrequently. Reactivity with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), used in the diagnosis of SLE, did not correlate with SR protein reactivity. Ant i-SR autoantisera did not bind highly charged unphosphorylated peptides rel ated to the SR domain, which is rich in arginine and phospho-serine residue s. Surprisingly, many of the epitopes were influenced by the presence or ab sence of SR protein phosphorylation. In immunoblots, some patient sera lost reactivity upon SR protein dephosphorylation, while others significantly g ained reactivity. Conclusion. We have identified a novel set of autoantigens in SLE, the SR p rotein family of non-small nuclear RNP pre-messenger RNA splicing factors. Anti-SR autoantibodies are distinct from those which bind dsDNA, The identi fication of this new set of autoantigens and the observation that the auto- epitope(s) involves posttranslational modification offer new possibilities for understanding autoimmunity and its development.