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Ann Rheum Dis 1999;58:630-634 doi:10.1136/ard.58.10.630
  • Extended report

Presentation of autoantibody to proliferating cell nuclear antigen in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection

  1. Bor-Show Tzangb,
  2. Tzy-Yen Chena,
  3. Tsai-Ching Hsua,
  4. Yin-Chang Liub,
  5. Gregory J Tsaya
  1. aDepartment of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical and Dental College, Taichung, Taiwan, bDepartment of Life Science, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
  1. Dr G J Tsay, Department of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical and Dental College, 110 Section 1, Chien Kuo N Road, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
  • Accepted 28 May 1999

Abstract

OBJECTIVES To study the association of antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infection.

METHODS Sera from 243 patients with chronic HBV infection; 379 patients with chronic HCV infection; 80 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis; 15 patients with Sjogren’s syndrome; eight with polymyositis; eight with primary biliary cirrhosis; and 33 healthy control subjects were tested for the presentation of anti-PCNA antibodies by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting using recombinant PCNA as antigen. The distribution of immunoglobulin isotypes of anti-PCNA antibody was measured by ELISA assay.

RESULTS By ELISA, anti-PCNA antibodies were detected in 30 (12.3%) patients with chronic HBV infection, 71 (18.7%) patients with chronic HCV infection, and five (6.3%) patients with SLE. The inhibition of binding with these sera by purified PCNA was shown to exceed 71%. By immunoblotting, the frequency of anti-PCNA in patients with chronic HBV and HCV infection was 17 of 243 (7%) and 41 of 379 (11%), respectively. Absorption studies on indirect immunofluorescence showed the typical nuclear speckled staining pattern by anti-PCNA sera was abolished by preincubation of sera with PCNA. Anti-PCNA antibody was not detected in sera from patients with autoimmune diseases except SLE. Anti-PCNA antibodies in patients with chronic HBV and HCV infection were predominantly IgG.

CONCLUSION These data suggest that anti-PCNA antibody are also present in patients with chronic HBV and HCV infection. Anti-PCNA antibody may not be specific for SLE.

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