Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases logoLink to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
. 1984 Jun;43(3):451–456. doi: 10.1136/ard.43.3.451

Differences in immunochemical characteristics of cryoglobulins in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus and their complement binding properties.

C C Erhardt, P Mumford, R N Maini
PMCID: PMC1001369  PMID: 6611139

Abstract

Cryoglobulins isolated from sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were analysed for their immunoglobulin, antibody, and complement components. In both disease categories the cryoglobulins contained predominantly IgG with lesser amounts of IgM and IgA, but relative to serum more IgM was concentrated in the cryoglobulins. IgM rheumatoid factor was found in 65% of RA cryoglobulins but in only 17% of SLE cryoglobulins (p less than 0.02), whereas SLE cryoglobulins contained more DNA binding activity than RA cryoglobulins (p less than 0.01). C1q binding activity was detectable in the majority of SLE and RA sera and SLE cryoglobulins. Paradoxically only two out of 34 RA cryoglobulins bound C1q, although rheumatoid factor activity was present in both cryoglobulins and sera. When isolated from serum the rheumatoid factor fraction strongly bound C1q. Both RA and SLE cryoglobulins contained similar small amounts of C3 and C4. Differences in antibody composition and complement binding activity of cryoglobulins from RA and SLE sera may reflect properties of immune complexes which affect their tissue localisation and pathogenicity.

Full text

PDF
451

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aarden L. A., Lakmaker F., Feltkamp T. E. Immunology of DNA. I. The influence of reaction conditions on the Farr assay as used for the detection of anti-ds DNA. J Immunol Methods. 1976;10(1):27–37. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(76)90004-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bourke B. E., Moss I. K., Maini R. N. Measurement of the complement C3 breakdown product C3d by rocket immunoelectrophoresis. J Immunol Methods. 1982;48(1):97–108. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(82)90214-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Davis J. S., Godfrey S. M., Winfield J. B. Direct evidence for circulating DNA/anti-DNA complexes in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 1978 Jan-Feb;21(1):17–22. doi: 10.1002/art.1780210104. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Erhardt C. C., Mumford P., Maini R. N. The association of cryoglobulinaemia with nodules, vasculitis and fibrosing alveolitis in rheumatoid arthritis and their relationship to serum C1q binding activity and rheumatoid factor. Clin Exp Immunol. 1979 Dec;38(3):405–413. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Finbloom D. S., Magilavy D. B., Harford J. B., Rifai A., Plotz P. H. Influence of antigen on immune complex behavior in mice. J Clin Invest. 1981 Jul;68(1):214–224. doi: 10.1172/JCI110238. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Holian J., Griffiths I. D., Glass D. N., Maini R. N., Scott J. T. Human anti-DNA antibody: reference standards for diagnosis and management of systemic lupus erythematosus. Ann Rheum Dis. 1975 Oct;34(5):438–443. doi: 10.1136/ard.34.5.438. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Izui S., Lambert P. H., Miescher P. A. In vitro demonstration of a particular affinity of glomerular basement membrane and collagen for DNA. A possible basis for a local formation of DNA-anti-DNA complexes in systemic lupus erythematosus. J Exp Med. 1976 Aug 1;144(2):428–443. doi: 10.1084/jem.144.2.428. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kurata N., Tan E. M. Identification of antibodies to nuclear acidic antigens by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. Arthritis Rheum. 1976 May-Jun;19(3):574–580. doi: 10.1002/art.1780190309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Levinsky R. J., Cameron J. S., Soothill J. F. Serum immune complexes and disease activity in lupus nephritis. Lancet. 1977 Mar 12;1(8011):564–567. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)91998-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Nydegger U. E., Zubler R. H., Gabay R., Joliat G., Karagevrekis C. H., Lambert P. H., Miescher P. A. Circulating complement breakdown products in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Correlation between plasma C3d, circulating immune complexes, and clinical activity. J Clin Invest. 1977 May;59(5):862–868. doi: 10.1172/JCI108708. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Roberts J. L., Lewis E. J. Identification of antinative DNA antibodies in cryoglobulinemic states. Am J Med. 1978 Sep;65(3):437–445. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(78)90770-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Roberts J. L., Lewis E. J. Immunochemical demonstration of cryoprecipitable anti-native DNA antibody and DNA in the serum of patients with glomerulonephritis. J Immunol. 1980 Jan;124(1):127–133. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Robinson M. F., Roberts J. L., Jones J. V., Lewis E. J. Circulating immune complex assays in patients with lupus and membranous glomerulonephritis. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1979 Nov;14(3):348–360. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(79)90160-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rother U., Rother K., Flad H. D., Miescher P. A. Bithermic complement activation in cryoglobulinaemic serum. Eur J Clin Invest. 1972 Jan;2(2):59–65. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1972.tb00570.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shoenfeld Y., Rauch J., Massicotte H., Datta S. K., André-Schwartz J., Stollar B. D., Schwartz R. S. Polyspecificity of monoclonal lupus autoantibodies produced by human-human hybridomas. N Engl J Med. 1983 Feb 24;308(8):414–420. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198302243080802. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Smeenk R., Aarden L. The use of polyethylene glycol precipitation to detect low-avidity anti-DNA antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus. J Immunol Methods. 1980;39(1-2):165–180. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(80)90305-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stastny P., Ziff M. Cold-insoluble complexes and complement levels in systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med. 1969 Jun 19;280(25):1376–1381. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196906192802503. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Theofilopoulos A. N., Dixon F. J. The biology and detection of immune complexes. Adv Immunol. 1979;28:89–220. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2776(08)60800-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Venables P. J., Erhardt C. C., Maini R. N. Antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens in rheumatoid arthritis: relationship to vasculitis and circulating immune complexes. Clin Exp Immunol. 1980 Jan;39(1):146–153. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Weeke B. Rocket immunoelectrophoresis. Scand J Immunol Suppl. 1973;1:37–46. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1973.tb03777.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weisman M., Zvaifler N. Cryoimmunoglobulinemia in rheumatoid arthritis. Significance in serum of patients with rheumatoid vasculitis. J Clin Invest. 1975 Sep;56(3):725–739. doi: 10.1172/JCI108144. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wilson M. R., Arroyave C. M., Miles L., Tan E. M. Immune reactants in cryoproteins. Relationship to complement activation. Ann Rheum Dis. 1977 Dec;36(6):540–548. doi: 10.1136/ard.36.6.540. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Winfield J. B., Koffler D., Kunkel H. G. Specific concentration of polynucleotide immune complexes in the cryoprecipitates of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Clin Invest. 1975 Sep;56(3):563–570. doi: 10.1172/JCI108125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Zubler R. H., Nydegger U., Perrin L. H., Fehr K., McCormick J., Lambert P. H., Miescher P. A. Circulating and intra-articular immune complexes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Correlation of 125I-Clq binding activity with clinical and biological features of the disease. J Clin Invest. 1976 May;57(5):1308–1319. doi: 10.1172/JCI108399. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Zvaifler N. J., Bluestein H. G. Lymphocytotoxic antibody activity in cryoprecipitates from serum of patients with SLE. Arthritis Rheum. 1976 Sep-Oct;19(5):844–850. doi: 10.1002/art.1780190502. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES