Anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and Anti‐La (SS‐B) in patients with Sjögren's syndrome

Abstract

Clinical, serologic, and genetic findings in Sjögren's syndrome patients were correlated with quantitative determinations for antibody against Ro (SS‐A), La (SS‐B), and nRNP (Sm) using newly developed, sensitive solid‐phase assays. In 86 Sjögren's syndrome patient sera, more than 96% had anti‐Ro (SS‐A), and 87% had anti‐La (SS‐B), spanning a 4.8 log10 range of autoantibody concentration, whereas only 95% of the patients had anti‐nRNP (Sm). Low levels of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and anti‐La (SS‐B) were found in 10% and 12.5%, respectively, of the 40 normal control sera. In Sjögren's syndrome patients, the level of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) correlated strongly with that of anti‐La (SS‐B) (r = 0.80; P 0.0001) but not with the level of anti‐nRNP (Sm). We found much higher levels of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and anti‐La (SS‐B) in patients with purpura, leukopenia, lymphopenia, and increased polyclonal gamma globulins than in those without these conditions (between 4.3‐fold and 17‐fold higher; P < 0.001 to P < 0.05). Anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and anti‐La (SS‐B) levels correlated with the rheumatoid factor titer and with the concentrations of total globulin, IgG, and IgA, but not with the IgM concentration. The association of rheumatoid factor titer with levels of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and anti‐La (SS‐B) occurred only in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Antinuclear antibody titers correlated with levels of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and anti‐nRNP (Sm). HLA‐DR3‐positive patients had higher levels of anti‐Ro (SS‐A) and anti‐La (SS‐B).

Differential Immunological Aberrations in Patients with Primary and Secondary Sjögren's Syndrome

“…Thus, it has been shown that approximately 90% of sera from primary SS patients are ANA positive on Hep-2 cells [26]. The finding that SS-B antibodies were more commonly detected in primary SS is in accordance with several previous reports [27]. Signs of polyclonal B cell activation and hypergammaglobulinaemia are commonly found in SS patients.…”

Two ro (ss‐a) autoantibody responses in systemic lupus erythematosus

“…Two criteria were selected to strictly define positive antibody binding: 1) reduction in the antibody binding or inhibition >70% by antigen in the antigen-inhibition ELISA, or >70% decrease in binding levels in the BSA-coated wells versus antigen-coated wells for the antigen-capture ELISA, and 2) a net antibody level greater than 3 SD above the mean of the level in the negative controls: 6,329 units in the anti-Ro ELISA, 2,068 units in the anti-La ELISA, and 3,226 units in the anti-Sm/nRNP ELISA. These criteria were purposefully more strict than those we used in previous studies that have shown antibodies to Ro in 14.5% and antibodies to La in 7.5% of normal sera (15)(16)(17)28).…”

“…Thus, MHC control of these immune responses, either qualitatively or quantitatively, has been suggested. Recently, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) have been developed to measure anti-Ro, anti-La, and the anti-Sdnuclear RNP (anti-SmhRNP) complex (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). By virtue of being more sensitive and quantitative, these assays may provide greater insight into the role…”

Production of anti-Ro/SS-A and anti-La/SS-B Autoantibodies is Closely Coordinated in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Independent of anti-dsDNA Production

“…Anti-Ro/SS-A antibodies in patients with SLE or Sjögren's Syndrome are very often accompanied by anti-La/SS-B antibodies and vice versa [21,22]. This phenomenon could be explained by hypothesizing a common (auto)antigenic particle as driving force behind both autoantibody responses.…”