A solid phase radioimmunoassay for detection of antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens

A solid phase radioimmunoassay is described for the detection of autoantibodies to the saline-soluble extractable nuclear antigens, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) and SS-B (or La). This assay depends on enrichment of antigens from a crude, commercially available (Pel Freez, U.S.A.) extract of rabbit thymus by absorption to the F(ab)2 fraction of specific high titre antibody attached to a microtitre plate. Serum antibody reactive with this antigen is then detected by 125I-labelled Protein A. The assay is simple and is more sensitive than the gel diffusion assays in general use for detecting such antibodies.