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Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1989 Jun;76(3):366–372.

Antibodies against Ku protein in sera from patients with autoimmune diseases.

M Yaneva 1, F C Arnett 1
PMCID: PMC1541894  PMID: 2665976

Abstract

Immunoaffinity-purified Ku protein was used to screen sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma, myositis and Sjögren's syndrome for anti-Ku antibodies in a quantitative immunoblot assay. Sixteen percent of the 159 studied sera were reactive with the Ku protein; significantly increased frequencies of anti-Ku antibodies were found in SLE (19%) and scleroderma (14%) sera. Patients with myositis and Sjögren's syndrome showed similar frequencies. All positive sera had antibodies to the 86 kD subunit of Ku protein; only one serum did not react with 70 kD subunit. Frequencies of other autoantibodies were compared in anti-Ku positive and negative patients. Only anti-Sm antibodies, especially in the absence of anti-nRNP, appear to be associated with the presence of anti-Ku antibodies. A strong correlation between anti-Ku antibodies and the class II HLA antigen DQw1 (89% of the positive sera) was observed, suggesting participation of MHC genes in the mounting of the anti-Ku immune response.

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Selected References

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