IMMUNOFLUORESCENT TECHNIQUE FOR DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES TO N-DNA - COMPARISON WITH RADIOIMMUNOASSAY

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 4  (1) , 15-20
Abstract
Sera (106) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 20 from patients without SLE but with a positive FANA, and 50 controls were tested for the presence of antibodies to n[native]-DNA, using an immunofluorescent technique with the kinetoplast of Crithidia luciliae as a substrate. A high degree of correlation existed between the results obtained with this technique and a Millipore radioimmunoassay method using a well characterized tritiated native human DNA. The results with the immunofluorescent method could be expressed semiquantitatively as a titer, if serial serum dilutions were used. Results in patients with SLE correlated well with disease activity. The immunofluorescent technique can provide a useful alternative to a radioimmunoassay for the detection of antibodies to n-DNA. As this substrate is known to contain pure n-DNA, problems do not arise with contamination with single-stranded DNA as sometimes occurs with other test antigens. This avoids the detection of antibodies reacting only with single-stranded areas and consequently increased the specificity of the reaction.

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