D. Sanchez et al., Occurrence of IgA and IgG autoantibodies to calreticulin in coeliac disease and various autoimmune diseases, J AUTOIMMUN, 15(4), 2000, pp. 441-449
Calreticulin (CRT), a high-affintiy calcium binding protein and chaperone,
was recently identified as one of the targets of autoantibodies in coeliac
disease. We evaluated the level of IgA and IgG antibodies to CRT in sera fr
om patients with coeliac disease and various autoimmune diseases. The level
of antibodies to gliadin (shown previously to cross-react with CTR), isola
ted enterocytes and tissue transglutaminase were determined for comparison.
The mean level of IgA antibodies to CRT was significantly higher (P < 0.00
1) in sera from coeliac patients with active disease (139.9 +/- 11.2 AU/+/-
SE) than in healthy controls (20.9 +/- 1.7 AU). In sera of patients with sy
stemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM
), multiple sclerosis (MS) and autoimmune thyroiditis (AT) or inflammatory
bowel disease (IBD) the mean level (25.8 +/- 3.7 to 38.1 +/- 5.6 AU) did no
t exceed the cut-off value. A low level of these antibodies, however, was d
etected in some sera of patients with MS and IBD. The level of IgG anti-CRT
antibodies was increased in coeliac patients (mean 125.4 +/- 8.0 AU, P < 0
.001) when compared to that in healthy controls (33.9 +/- 2.3 AU). The IgG
anti-CRT antibodies were also detected in about 30% of SLE patients sera (5
4.1 +/- 3.6 AU, P < 0.001), but the mean level reached only half that detec
ted in coeliac patients, (C) 2000 Academic Press.