Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 15, 2025

Anti-Nuclear Antibody Screening Using HEp-2 Cells
Published on: June 23, 2014
Clinical features of Japanese systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients negative for SSc-related autoantibodies: A
Miho Miyake1, Takashi Matsushita1, Kazuhiko Takehara1
1Department of Molecular Pathology of Skin, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Objective:
To examine the clinical features of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients negative for SSc-related autoantibodies (autoAbs).
Methods:
Serum samples were collected from 546 SSc patients. The presence of antinuclear antibody (ANA) was screened by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) staining using HEp-2 cells. SSc-related autoantibodies were identified by specific IIF staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or immunoprecipitation assay. Clinical features were analyzed among patients negative for ANA/SSc-related autoAbs, anticentromere Abs (ACA), anti-topoisomerase I (anti-topo I) Abs, and anti-RNA polymerase (anti-RNAP) Abs.
Results:
Of the 546 SSc patients, 26 (4.8%) were negative for ANA and 29 (5.3%) were ANA-positive but negative for SSc-related autoAbs. Regarding clinical features, patients negative for ANA/SSc-related autoAbs (n = 55) had a significantly shorter disease duration, higher proportion of the diffuse type, contracture of phalanges, diffuse pigmentation, higher modified Rodnan total skin thickness score (mRSS), and lower incidence of telangiectasia than those with ACA (n = 224). On the other hand, younger disease onset, lower mRSS, and lower incidence of scleroderma renal crisis were observed in patients negative for ANA/SSc-related autoAbs than in those with anti-RNAP Abs (n = 52). Although pitting scars were less common in patients negative for ANA/SSc-related autoAbs than in those with anti-topo I Abs (n = 144), their clinical features were similar.
Conclusion:
Patients negative for ANA/SSc-related autoAbs form a clinically distinct subset among SSc patients.
More Related Videos
10:55Detection of Anti-MDA5 Autoantibodies Using HeLa Cells and Immunocytochemistry with Light Microscopy
Published on: October 31, 2025
10:05Simultaneous Distinction of Monospecific and Mixed DFS70 Patterns During ANA Screening with a Novel HEp-2 ELITE/DFS70 Knockout Substrate
Published on: January 17, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Autoimmune Disorders
Concept and Mechanism of Autoimmune Diseases
The immune...
Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
Atherosclerosis II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Tests
Myocarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Pericarditis II: Clinical Features and Diagnostic Tests
Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation