Significance of anti-lymphocyte antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus

✍ Scribed by John B. Winfield; Peter I. Lobo; Alfred Singer

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 553 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780210935

✦ Synopsis

Sera from patients with SLE frequently contain IgM and IgG antibodies with multiple specificities for lymphocyte surface determinants, including autologous antigens. The IgM antibodies are of relatively low binding avidity and exhibit broad reactivity with B and T lymphocytes from most individuals. IgG antibodies are reactive selectively with PBL from different individuals and appear to be more specific for B cell and a minor proportion of T cells. The molecular nature of the surface determinants involved and their relationship with known antigens and receptors remain largely undefined.

Interest in anti-lymphocyte antibodies in SLE relates in part to data suggesting a causal role in the abnormal immune system function in this disorder. In this regard, possible mechanisms that are supported by indirect data include: a) antibody-mediated lymphocyte depletion in vivo, perhaps involving functional subsets specifically; b) antibody blockade of surface receptors operant in cell-From the