Activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells detected by murine monoclonal antibodies to proliferating cell nuclear antigen in active lupus patients

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Abstract
Hybridoma producing monoclonal antibody to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA/cyclin) (TOB7, IgG1 κ) was newly established. Using TOB7, PCNA was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Forty-four of 58 patients with SLE had PBMC expressing PCNA. The percentage of PCNA-positive PBMC in patients with SLE was 0–20% (mean: 2.63%) which was significantly higher (PPPr=0.45,P<0.01). The lymphocyte subsets of PCNA-positive PBMC were examined, and most of those cells belonged to CD4- or CD8-positive T-cell populations in three lupus patients. Our findings indicate that PCNA-positive activated PBMC are present in SLE patients and the percentage of PCNA-positive PBMC may be used as an indicator of disease activity.