Screening of a HUVEC cDNA library with transplant-associated coronary artery disease sera identifies RPL7 as a candidate autoantigen associated with this disease

A HUVEC cDNA library was screened with sera from two patients who had devel oped transplant-associated coronary artery disease (TxCAD) following cardia c transplantation. A total of six positive clones were isolated from a prim ary screen of 40 000 genes. Subsequent DNA sequence analysis identified the se to be lysyl tRNA synthetase, ribosomal protein L7, ribosomal protein L9, beta transducin and TANK. Another gene whose product could not be identifi ed showed homology to a human cDNA clone (DKFZp566M063) derived from fetal kidney. Full-length constructs of selected genes were expressed as his-tag recombinant fusion proteins and used to screen a wider patient base by ELIS A to determine prevalence and association with TxCAD. Of these ribosomal pr otein L7 showed the highest prevalence (55.6%) with TxCAD sera compared to 10% non-CAD.