SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTIBODIES TO POLY(ADENOSINE DIPHOSPHATE-RIBOSE) IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 36  (1) , 151-164
Abstract
Poly(ADP-ribose) and ds[double-stranded)-DNA binding activity were measured in 39 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) sera, 19 rheumatoid arthritis sera, 14 sera from non-SLE rheumatic and non-rheumatic diseases and in 10 normal sera. Antibodies to poly(ADP-ribose) were found only in the SLE and in 3 SLE-like rheumatic diseases. Anti-DNA antibodies, were found not only in the SLE and SLE-like diseases, but also in rheumatoid arthritis and chronic active hepatitis. Estimation of poly(ADP-ribose) binding was more specific for, and more discriminatory of SLE from other diseases, than the estimations of ds-DNA binding. The estimation of poly(ADP-ribose) binding in serum may be more useful in the diagnosis of SLE than the presently employed estimation of DNA binding using the Amersham kit. DNA-anti-DNA immune complexes were detected in some of the SLE sera after deoxyribonuclease I digestion, confirming earlier reports of the existence of circulating DNA-anti-DNA complexes in SLE patients. Snake venom phosphodiesterase treatment of some of the SLE sera also resulted in increased poly(ADP-ribose) binding activity, suggesting the existence of poly(ADP-ribose)-anti-poly(ADP-ribose) immune complexes in the circulation of SLE patients. Poly (ADP-ribose) immune complexes may play some part in the pathogenesis of some cases of SLE.