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Anti-Nuclear Antibody Screening Using HEp-2 Cells
Published on: June 23, 2014
Pilot study of anti-mitochondrial antibodies in antiphospholipid syndrome
Yann Lc Becker1, Anne-Sophie Julien2, Alexandra Godbout1,3
1Centre de Recherche ARThrite - Arthrite, Recherche et Traitements, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada.
Background:
Mitochondria are intracellular organelles of bacterial origin capable of stimulating the immune system when released into the extracellular milieu. We previously reported the expression of anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) targeting whole organelles (AwMA), mitochondrial DNA (AmtDNA) or mitochondrial RNA (AmtRNA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune condition that may be independent of, or associated with, other diseases, usually SLE. This study aimed to detect AMA in patients with APS and to explore the association with clinical features of APS.
Methods:
AwMA-, AmtDNA- and AmtRNA-IgG and -IgM were detected in a pilot study (healthy controls n = 30 and APS patients n = 24) by direct ELISA, and their levels were associated with demographic and disease characteristics.
Results:
AmtDNA-IgM and AmtRNA-IgG and IgM were elevated in APS compared to healthy controls (p = 0.009, p = 0.0005 and p = 0.01, respectively). AwMA-IgG were increased in patients positive for lupus anticoagulant (median ± interquartile range = 0.36 ± 0.31 vs. 0.14 ± 0.08, p = 0.008), and optical density values for AwMA-IgM were correlated with titres of IgM against cardiolipin (rs = 0.51, p = 0.01). An increment of 0.1 unit of AmtDNA-IgM levels was associated with reduced prior reporting of arterial events (odds ratio = 0.86; 95% confidence interval 0.74-1.00; p = 0.047).
Conclusion:
Our pilot study suggests that AMA are represented within the autoantibody repertoire in APS and may display different associations with the clinical manifestations of the disease. Further studies should focus on reproducing these preliminary results by following AMA levels through time in larger prospective cohorts.
Insights
This pilot study found anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), with specific antibodies correlating to clinical features. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in larger cohorts.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Autoimmunity
- Mitochondrial Biology
Background:
- Mitochondria, of bacterial origin, can stimulate the immune system when extracellular.
- Anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) targeting organelles, DNA, or RNA are found in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
- Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune condition often associated with SLE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect AMA in patients with APS.
- To investigate the association between AMA and clinical features of APS.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving 30 healthy controls and 24 APS patients.
- Direct ELISA was used to detect IgG and IgM antibodies against whole mitochondria (AwMA), mitochondrial DNA (AmtDNA), and mitochondrial RNA (AmtRNA).
- Levels of AMA were correlated with demographic and disease characteristics.
Main Results:
- Elevated levels of AmtDNA-IgM, AmtRNA-IgG, and AmtRNA-IgM were observed in APS patients compared to controls.
- AwMA-IgG levels were higher in patients positive for lupus anticoagulant.
- AwMA-IgM levels correlated with anti-cardiolipin IgM titers, and higher AmtDNA-IgM levels were associated with fewer arterial events.
Conclusions:
- AMA are part of the autoantibody profile in APS.
- Specific AMA may correlate with distinct clinical manifestations in APS.
- Larger prospective studies are recommended to validate these preliminary findings.
