Serum antibodies to human pituitary membrane antigens in patients with autoimmune lymphocytic hypophysitis and infundibuloneurohypophysitis

OBJECTIVE Serum antipituitary antibodies were investigated by the immunoblo tting method using human anterior pituitary membrane preparation as the ant igen. PATIENTS Thirteen patients with autoimmune lymphocytic hypophysitis, two pa tients with infundibuloneurohypophysitis, four patients with isolated ACTH deficiency, 21 patients with diabetes mellitus (type 1 and type 2) and 38 h ealthy subjects were studied. METHODS Human pituitary membrane antigens were electrophoresed by sodium do decylsulphate-polyacrimide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The antigens wer e transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membrane and reacted with the se ra followed by incubation with biotinylated anti-human IgG goat serum. RESULTS Serum antibodies to 68, 49, 43 kD human pituitary membrane antigens were detected in five of 13, one of 12 patients with infundibuloneurohypop hysitis and none of four patients with isolated ACTH deficiency. These anti bodies were not detectable when human thyroid, liver or rat pituitary prepa rations were used as the antigen. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that serum antibodies to 68, 49, 43 kD hu man anterior pituitary antigen are specific but not so frequently detected in autoimmune lymphocytic hypophysitis.