Antibody to threonyl-transfer RNA synthetase in myositis sera

The prevalence and clinical correlations of anti-threonyl-transfer RNA synthetase (anti-PL-7), as well as the relationship of anti-PL-7 to anti-histidyl-transfer RNA synthetase (anti-Jo-1) were studied in 109 sera from patients with myositis. Inhibition of threonine aminoacylation was used to screen for anti-PL-7. Sera from 3 patients, 2 with polymyositis and 1 with polymyositis-overlap syndrome, and a fourth serum from a patient with dermatomyositis, which was previously found to contain anti-PL-7, inhibited greater than 90% of activity (3.7% of 109 sera). All 4 sera reacted strongly in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with enzyme that was either affinity purified with anti-PL-7 or was biochemically purified. There was no indication of cross-reactivity by aminoacylation inhibition or, for most sera, by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-PL-7 is an uncommon myositis-associated antibody that is independent of anti-Jo-1, but is directed at a functionally related enzyme.