Demonstration of a circulating autoantibody against a soluble eye-muscle antigen in Graves' ophthalmopathy

Mouse monoclonal antibodies against antigens in human eye muscle, orbital connective tissue, and lacrimal tissue and guineapig harderian gland have been produced by means of the hybridisation technique. From 14 fusions, over 30 antibodies have been produced, of which 24 have been maintained and characterised for the present studies. All were IgG1. Most were organ-specific, but eye-muscle antibodies tended to cross-react with skeletal muscle, one eye-muscle antibody cross-reacted with thyroidal microsomes, and both lacrimal monoclonal antibodies reacted strongly with mucus-secreting cells in human small intestine. Only one of the antibodies fixed complement. Orbital monoclonal antibodies were used as probes to identify orbital antigens. Most antigens were in the cytosol fraction, but a few were demonstrated in cytoplasmic membranes. Circulating autoantibodies against a human-eye-muscle soluble antigen were detected in 17 of 23 patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy but in only 1 of 14 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, in 2 of 11 patients with subacute thyroiditis, in no patient with Graves' hyperthyroidism without eye disease, and in none with multinodular goitre.