Skip to main content
PMC home page
Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine logoLink to Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine
. 2002 Apr;7(1):7–10. doi: 10.1007/BF02898059

Detection of anti-topoisomerase I autoantibody in patients with silicosis

Akiko Tomokuni 1,✉, Takemi Otsuki 1, Haruko Sakaguchi 1, Yumika Isozaki 1, Fuminori Hyodoh 1, Masayasu Kusaka 2, Ayako Ueki 1
PMCID: PMC2723232  PMID: 21432283

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to detect anti-topoisomerase I (anti-topo I) autoantibodies, which are known to be limited in systemic sclerosis patients, in silicosis patients with no clinical symptoms of autoimmune disease.

Methods

Serum anti-topo I autoantibodies were detected using ELISA. Differences in clinical parameters between patients with and without anti-topo I autoantibodies were analyzed.

Results

Seven of 69 patients had anti-topo I autoantibodies. These 7 patients showed elevated PaCO2 values (P=0.0212), and inverse correlations between serum soluble Fas levels and PaCO2 values were found.

Conclusion

Anti-topo I autoantibodies were detected in 10.1% of silicosis patients without any clinical symptoms of autoimmune disease. The findings here suggest that the genesis of anti-topo I autoantibodies might be related to pulmonary involvement or lung fibrosis associated with progression of silicosis.

Key words: silicosis, topoisomerase I, autoantibody, autoimmunity, apoptosis

References

  • 1).Steenland K, Goldsmith DF. Silica exposure and autoimmune diseases. Am. J. Ind. Med. 1995; 28: 603–608. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 2).Haustein UF, Anderegg U. Silica induced scleroderma—clinical and experimental aspects. J. Rheumatol. 1998; 25: 1917–1926. [PubMed]
  • 3).Rosenman KD, Moore-Fuller M, Reilly MJ. Connective tissue disease and silicosis. Am. J. Ind. Med. 1999; 35: 375–381. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 4).Nozawa K, Kayagaki N, Tokano Y, Yagita H, Okumura K, Hasimoto H. Soluble Fas (APO-1, CD95), and soluble Fas ligand in rheumatic diseases. Arthritis Rheum. 1997; 40: 1126–1129. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 5).Hasunuma T, Kayagaki N, Asahara H, Motokawa S, Kobata T, Yagita H, Aono H, Sumida T, Okumura K, Nishioka K. Accumulation of soluble Fas in inflamed joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1997; 40: 80–86. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 6).Tsokos GC, Kovacs B, Liossis SN. Lymphocytes, cytokines, inflammation, and immune trafficking. Curr. Opin. Rheumatol. 1997; 9: 380–386. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 7).Tomokuni A, Aikoh T, Matsuki T, Isozaki Y, Otsuki T, Kita S, Ueki H, Kusaka M, Kishimoto T, Ueki A. Elevated soluble Fas/APO-1 (CD95) levels in silicosis patients without clinical symptoms of autoimmune diseases or malignant tumours. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 1997; 110: 303–309. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • 8).Otsuki T, Sakaguchi H, Tomokuni A, Aikoh T, Matsuki T, Kawakami Y, Kusaka M, Ueki H, Kita S, Ueki A. Soluble Fas mRNA is dominantly expressed in cases with silicosis. Immunology 1998; 94: 258–262. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • 9).Ueki A, Yamaguchi M, Ueki H, Watanabe Y, Ohsawa G, Kinugawa K, Kawakami Y, Hyodoh F. Polyclonal human T-cell activation by silicate in vitro. Immunology 1994; 82: 332–335. [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • 10).Aikoh T, Tomokuni A, Matsuki T, Hyodoh F, Ueki H, Otsuki T, Ueki A. Activation-induced cell death in human peripheral blood lymphocytes after stimulation with silicate in vitro. Int. J. Oncol. 1998; 12: 1355–1359. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 11).Kuwana M, Okano Y, Kaburaki J, Tojo T, Medsger TA Jr. Racial differences in the distribution of systemic sclerosis-related serum antinuclear antibodies. Arthritis Rheum. 1994; 37: 902–906. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 12).Steen VD, Powell DL, Medsger TA Jr. Clinical correlations and prognosis based on serum autoantibodies in patients with systemic sclerosis. Arthritis Rheum. 1988; 31: 196–203. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 13).Kuwana M, Kaburaki J, Okano Y, Tojo T, Homma M. Clinical and prognostic associations based on serum antinuclear antibodies in Japanese patients with systemic sclerosis. Arthritis Rheum. 1994; 37: 75–83. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 14).Diot E, Giraudeau B, Diot P, Degenne D, Ritz L, Guilmot JL, Lemarie E. Is anti-topoisomerase 1 a serum marker of pulmonary involvement in systemic sclerosis? Chest 1999; 116: 715–720. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 15).McHugh NJ, Whyte J, Harvey G, Haustein UF. Anti-topoisomerase I antibodies in silica-associated systemic sclerosis. A model for autoimmunity. Arthritis Rheum. 1994; 37: 1198–1205. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 16).Bar-Meir E, Teuber SS, Lin HC, Alosacie I, Goddard G, Terybery J, Barka N, Shen B, Peter JB, Blank M, Gershwin ME. Shoenfeld Y. Multiple autoantibodies in patients with silicone breast implants. J. Autoimmun. 1995; 8: 267–277. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 17).Tomokuni A, Otsuki T, Isozaki Y, Kita S, Ueki H, Kusaka M, Kishimoto T, Ueki A. Serum levels of soluble Fas ligand in patients with silicosis. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 1999; 118: 441–444. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
  • 18).Otsuki T, Ichihara K, Tomokuni A, Sakaguchi H, Aikoh T, Matsuki T, Isozaki Y, Hyodoh F, Kusaka M, Kita S, Ueki A. Evaluation of cases with silicosis using the parameters related to Fasmediated apoptosis. Int. J. Mol. Med. 1999; 4: 407–411. [DOI] [PubMed]
  • 19).Otsuki T, Tomokuni A, Sakaguchi H, Aikoh T, Matsuki T, Isozaki Y, Hyodoh F, Ueki H, Kusaka M, Kita S, Ueki A. Over-expression of the decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) derived from silicosis patients. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 2000; 119: 323–327. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]

Articles from Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Japanese Society for Hygiene

RESOURCES