Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1983 May;36(5):530–534. doi: 10.1136/jcp.36.5.530

Detection of immunoglobulins G and A on the cell membrane of hepatocytes from patients with alcoholic liver disease.

A Trevisan, R Cavigli, R Meliconi, G F Stefanini, S Zotti, M Rugge, F Noventa, C Betterle, G Realdi
PMCID: PMC498280  PMID: 6341413

Abstract

The presence of immunoglobulins (Ig) G, A, and M and of complement fractions (C3-C4) on the liver cell surface was investigated by direct immunofluorescence in 40 patients with alcoholic liver disease. IgG was detected on the liver cell membrane with a linear staining pattern in 29 patients. The percentage of IgG-positive hepatocytes correlated with transaminase activities, independently of the histological findings. IgA was demonstrable with a coarse granular staining pattern in 11 of the 14 cases with established cirrhosis. The finding of IgG bound to the hepatocyte surface in patients with alcohol-induced liver damage suggests that alcohol could be responsible for antigenic modifications of hepatocyte membrane with consequent triggering of a humoral immune response.

Full text

PDF
530

Images in this article

532Image
on p.532

Selected References

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

  1. Arnold W., von Mayersbach H. Changes in the solubility of immunoglobulins after fluorescent labeling and its influence on immunofluorescent techniques. J Histochem Cytochem. 1972 Dec;20(12):975–985. doi: 10.1177/20.12.975. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Avrameas S., Ternynck T. The cross-linking of proteins with glutaraldehyde and its use for the preparation of immunoadsorbents. Immunochemistry. 1969 Jan;6(1):53–66. doi: 10.1016/0019-2791(69)90178-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bailey R. J., Krasner N., Eddleston A. L., Williams R., Tee D. E., Doniach D., Kennedy L. A., Batchelor J. R. Histocompatibility antigens, autoantibodies, and immunoglobulins in alcoholic liver disease. Br Med J. 1976 Sep 25;2(6038):727–729. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6038.727. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Baraona E., Leo M. A., Borowsky S. A., Lieber C. S. Pathogenesis of alcohol-induced accumulation of protein in the liver. J Clin Invest. 1977 Sep;60(3):546–554. doi: 10.1172/JCI108806. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Burt A. D., Anthony R. S., Hislop W. S., Bouchier I. A., MacSween R. N. Liver membrane antibodies in alcoholic liver disease: 1. prevalence and immunoglobulin class. Gut. 1982 Mar;23(3):221–225. doi: 10.1136/gut.23.3.221. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Harinasuta U., Zimmerman H. J. Alcoholic steatonecrosis. I. Relationship between severity of hepatic disease and presence of Mallory bodies in the liver. Gastroenterology. 1971 Jun;60(6):1036–1046. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hopf U., Arnold W., Meyer zum Büschenfelde K. H., Förster E., Bolte J. P. Studies on the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory liver diseases. I. Membrane-fixed IgG on isolated hepatocytes from patients. Clin Exp Immunol. 1975 Oct;22(1):1–8. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hopf U., Brandtzaeg P., Hütteroth T. H., Meyer zum Büschenfelde K. H. In vivo and in vitro binding of IgA to the plasma membrane of hepatocytes. Scand J Immunol. 1978;8(6):543–549. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.1978.tb00554.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hopf U., Meyer zum Büschenfelde K. H., Arnold W. Detection of a liver-membrane autoantibody in HBsAg-negative chronic active hepatitis. N Engl J Med. 1976 Mar 11;294(11):578–582. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197603112941103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hopf U., Meyer zum Büschenfelde K. H., Dierich M. P. Demonstration of binding sites for IgG Fc and the third complement component (C3) on isolated hepatocytes. J Immunol. 1976 Aug;117(2):639–645. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jensen D. M., McFarlane I. G., Portmann B. S., Eddleston A. L., Williams R. Detection of antibodies directed against a liver-specific membrane lipoprotein in patients with acute and chronic active hepatitis. N Engl J Med. 1978 Jul 6;299(1):1–7. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197807062990101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kanagasundaram N., Kakumu S., Chen T., Leevy C. M. Alcoholic hyalin antigen (AHAg) and antibody (AHAb) in alcoholic hepatitis. Gastroenterology. 1977 Dec;73(6):1368–1373. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Krasner N., Davis M., Portmann B., Williams R. Changing pattern of alcoholic liver disease in Great Britain: relation to sex and signs of autoimmunity. Br Med J. 1977 Jun 11;1(6075):1497–1500. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.6075.1497. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lelbach W. K. Cirrhosis in the alcoholic and its relation to the volume of alcohol abuse. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1975 Apr 25;252:85–105. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb19146.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lieber C. S., DeCarli L., Rubin E. Sequential production of fatty liver, hepatitis, and cirrhosis in sub-human primates fed ethanol with adequate diets. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Feb;72(2):437–441. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.2.437. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Morgan M. Y., Ross M. G., Ng C. M., Adams D. M., Thomas H. C., Sherlock S. HLA-B8, immunoglobulins, and antibody responses in alcohol-related liver disease. J Clin Pathol. 1980 May;33(5):488–492. doi: 10.1136/jcp.33.5.488. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Penner E., Albini B., Milgrom F. Detection of circulating immune complexes in alcoholic liver disease. Clin Exp Immunol. 1978 Oct;34(1):28–31. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sorrell M. F., Leevy C. M. Lymphocyte transformation and alcoholic liver injury. Gastroenterology. 1972 Dec;63(6):1020–1025. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Trevisan A., Realdi G., Alberti A., Noventa F. Relationship between membrane-bound immunoglobulin and viral antigens in liver cells from patients with hepatitis B virus infection. Gastroenterology. 1979 Aug;77(2):209–214. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Zetterman R. K., Luisada-Opper A., Leevy C. M. Alcoholic hepatitis. Cell-mediated immunological response to alcoholic hyalin. Gastroenterology. 1976 Mar;70(3):382–384. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES