SEREX肿瘤抗原基因表达蛋白的研制和血清学初步筛选

目的 :利用基因工程方法获得SEREX肿瘤抗原基因原核表达蛋白 ,为进一步血清学分析奠定基础。方法 :采用SEREX方法 ,筛选中国人卵巢癌cDNA表达文库。对获得的 3个阳性克隆基因MY OVA 2、MY OVA 7和MY OVA 13,利用基因工程的方法克隆其全长基因 ,原核表达和亲和层析获得目的蛋白 ,并采用Dot blot的方法初步检测了目的蛋白抗原在正常人和肿瘤患者中的血清学反应格局。结果 :获得了纯化的目的蛋白 ,采用点杂交对 13例正常人和 74例肿瘤患者血清的测定结果显示 ,MY OVA 13的抗体只在肿瘤组中检测到 ,在正常组中为阴性 ;MY OVA 2和MY OVA 7在两组人群的血清中自身抗体检出率均呈现阳性 ,不同的肿瘤类型的阳性率各不相同。结论 :基因工程获得的蛋白质抗原可望成为肿瘤的血清学诊断工具     

新型肿瘤相关抗原OVA12单抗的制备及其在多种肿瘤中的应用

制备OVA12蛋白和OVA12单抗,探讨其在临床肿瘤辅助诊断中的应用前景。将重组质粒pET32a-OVA12转化至BL21(DE3)中,经诱导表达、亲和层析纯化和超滤获得纯化了OVA12蛋白;应用杂交瘤技术制备并通过亲和层析技术纯化得到OVA12单抗;合成OVA12抗原多肽片段,分析单抗识别的抗原表位;建立ELISA法,用纯化的OVA12蛋白及其抗原多肽分析肿瘤患者血清中抗OVA12抗体的含量;用单抗经免疫组化法检测临床不同类型肿瘤组织中OVA12蛋白的表达差异。结果显示,获得了纯化的OVA12蛋白和两株OVA12单抗;检测得知,肿瘤患者血清中的抗OVA12抗体水平显著高于健康人血清;OVA12蛋白在肿瘤组织中的表达也高于癌旁组织及正常组织,提示OVA12蛋白和抗OVA12抗体可作为一个新的肿瘤标志物应用于临床肿瘤的辅助诊断。     

SARS冠状病毒spike基因DNA疫苗的初步研究

目的　构建SARS病毒spike基因片段真核表达质粒DNA疫苗;检测spike基因片段的免疫原性;筛选SARS病毒疫苗构建的理想靶抗原。方法　采用RT PCR从SARS冠状病毒北京0 1(BJ0 1)株cDNA获取了spike基因cDNA的全长D12、编码N末端氨基酸的cDNA片段D14和编码C末端氨基酸的cDNA片段D2 3;构建重组真核表达质粒pcDNA3 /D12、pcDNA3 D14、pcDNA3 D2 /3;用3种重组质粒和pcDNA3空质粒载体(对照)DNA皮下注射免疫Wistar大鼠;ELISA检测免疫后大鼠血清S蛋白特异性抗体IgG的产生;同位素51 Cr实验检测特异性CTL应答;ELISPOT检测单细胞水平IFN -γ分泌。结果　pcDNA3 /D2 3疫苗免疫组大鼠血清有S蛋白阳性抗体IgG产生、抗体滴度>10 0 0 ;脾淋巴细胞可诱导特异的CTL应答和IFN γ分泌,pcDNA3 /D2 3疫苗组与其它组之间统计分析P <0 .0 5。结论SARS冠状病毒S蛋白的C末端具有较强的免疫原性,是疫苗构建的理想候选靶抗原,本研究结果为SARS病毒的疫苗研究提供了资料。     

人核糖体蛋白S13的原核表达、纯化及多克隆抗体的制备

目的克隆人核糖体蛋白S13(ribosomal protein S13,RPS13)cDNA全长,构建原核表达质粒,诱导表达、纯化RPS13蛋白并制备其多克隆抗体。方法应用RT-PCR方法从胃癌多药耐药细胞SGC7901/VCR中扩增出RPS13的cDNA全长,利用DNA重组技术构建重组原核表达载体pET-28a( )-RPS13,双酶切及测序鉴定。将重组载体转化入大肠杆菌BL21中,筛选抗性克隆并经DNA测序证实。IPTG诱导融合蛋白的表达,利用镍离子亲和层析柱提纯融合蛋白,经SDS-PAGE和Western blot鉴定。用纯化的融合蛋白His-RPS13免疫BALB/c小鼠,ELISA法测定抗体效价,饱和硫酸铵沉淀法纯化抗体,Western blot检测抗体活性。结果RT-PCR扩增片段与预计目的基因片段大小一致;双酶切鉴定表明,重组表达载体pET-28a( )-RPS13构建成功,DNA测序结果显示所获基因序列与GenBank中收录完全相同。IPTG诱导3h后,经SDS-PAGE检测显示在Mr19000处出现一新生条带,与预计的融合白大小一致;利用抗His标签的抗体进行Western blot,结果证实融合蛋白表达成功。其免疫血清经Western blot证实可特异性的识别蛋白RPS13。结论成功地获得了RPS13的编码基因序列,并获得了纯化的RPS13蛋白质,为制备RPS13的单克隆抗体、进一步研究RPS13在肿瘤中的作用奠定了基础。     

人硫氧还蛋白cDNA的克隆、表达及其多克隆抗体制备

目的制备硫氧还蛋白1(thioredoxin-1,Trx-1)多克隆抗体。方法从乳腺癌细胞系MCF-7中用RT-PCR的方法得到了Trx-1全长基因,将它克隆到原核表达载体上进行大量的表达和纯化,纯化的蛋白对新西兰大白兔进行背部多点注射,40d后取其血清用梯度饱和硫酸铵沉淀的方法进行多克隆抗体的纯化。用ELISA和Western印迹实验测定抗体效果。结果成功获得了Trx-1全长cDNA,通过原核表达得到了大量Trx-1蛋白,并制备了高效价的多克隆抗体。结论此多克隆抗体对Trx-1蛋白具有良好的识别能力,可以应用于Trx-1的功能研究。     

日本血吸虫尾蚴cDNA文库的免疫学筛选及EST序列的分析

目的为获得日本血吸虫（Schistosoma japonicura，Sj）转化生长因子β1（TGF—β1）基因的部分或全长cDNA序列。同时验证用针对某一蛋白的抗体筛选表达文库是否可以得到相应蛋白对应的基因序列。方法采用兔抗鼠TGF—β1血清，对Sj尾蚴cDNA表达文库进行免疫学筛选，对阳性克隆进行PCR扩增后，将大于500bp的克隆进行复筛，对复筛阳性的克隆进行测序和生物信息学鉴定。结果对大约10^6个噬菌斑进行了初筛。共获得7个阳性克隆；经过PCR扩增后，其中有4个克隆大于500bp，复筛获得3个持续阳性克隆；对测序后的阳性克隆进行生物信息学鉴定，得到的三个克隆均与日本血吸虫辅酶Q10氧化还原酶（SjCHGC）基因具有高的同源性（Bhata分值都大于200）。结论SjCHGC蛋白与兔抗鼠TGF—β1抗体的反应为交叉反应，用抗某一蛋白的抗体筛选表达文库得到相应蛋白的基因序列的方法不一定可行。     

结直肠癌中cyclin D1和p27蛋白的表达及其意义

目的　研究cyclinD1和p2 7蛋白在结直肠癌发生、发展中的作用及其与结直肠癌临床病理特征关系。 方法　收集5 8例手术切除的结直肠癌标本 ,同时取距癌灶 >5cm的正常组织 ,应用免疫组化S P法检测癌组织及正常组织中cyclinD1和p2 7蛋白的表达。结果　cyclinD1蛋白在结直肠癌的表达阳性率为 5 5 17%,正常组织无表达 (P <0 0 1) ;cyclinD1蛋白的表达阳性率在 6 0岁以上年龄组高于 6 0岁以下年龄组 (P <0 0 5 ) ;cyclinD1蛋白的表达与肿瘤组织分化程度负相关 (P <0 0 1)。p2 7蛋白在结直肠癌的表达阳性率为 5 5 17%,在结直肠正常组织的表达阳性率为 96 5 5 %(P <0 0 1) ;p2 7蛋白的表达与肿瘤组织分化程度负相关 (P <0 0 1)。cyclinD1和p2 7蛋白在结直肠癌的表达呈正相关 (r =0 5 82P <0 0 1)。 结论　cyclinD1蛋白过表达与 p2 7蛋白失活可加速细胞周期转化 ,促进结直肠癌的发生 ,cyclinD1和 p2 7蛋白的检测可作为评价结直肠癌恶性程度和判断预后的重要指标。     

乙肝病毒相关原发性肝细胞癌的癌前标志物检测

探讨乙肝病毒（HBV）相关原发性肝细胞癌（HCC）癌前标志物的检测及其临床意义。在HBx基因转染的HepG2细胞系中,采用PCR选择性分离cDNA,进行差减杂交,得到5个HBxAg上调基因URG4、URG7、URG11、S15a、Sui1。建立特异ELISA方法,对中国居民及美国的韩国裔移民共1046例（其中慢性HBV感染400例,对照组646例）,检测5个HBxAg上调基因的相应抗体,定其为HBV相关HCC癌前标志物,简称癌前抗体。结果表明,慢性乙肝组、乙肝肝硬化组、HBV相关HCC组以及HCV相关HCC组检出癌前抗体的阳性率与正常人群相比均有显著差异（P〈0．01）,且差异随慢性乙肝-乙肝肝硬化-肝癌的发展而增大,而HBV携带组、其它肝炎组以及其他肿瘤组与正常人群相比均无显著差异（P〉0．05）。在5个癌前抗体中,HBV相关HCC组检出3个或3个以上癌前抗体的阳性率为52．6％（30／57）,乙肝肝硬化组为29．2％（35／120）,慢性乙肝组为19．0％（29／153）,而正常人群仅为0．8％（4／494）。在HBV感染各组病例中,慢性乙肝组癌前抗体阳性率为48．4％（74／153）,乙肝肝硬化组为66．7％（80／120）,HBV相关HCC组为82．5％（47／57）（P〈0．01）,平均癌前抗体阳性数分别为1．37、2．12和3．52（P〈0．01）。这5个癌前抗体在正常人群中检测不到,而在肝癌及其高危人群中高比例地出现,且阳性率随慢性乙肝-乙肝肝硬化-肝癌的发展而显著升高,反映了这些癌前抗体是肝癌发生的高危风险因子,在肿瘤的发展过程中逐步产生,可以作为癌前病变趋势的诊断依据。     

大鼠白细胞介素10(IL-10)cDNA的克隆及在大肠杆菌中的表达

目的:克隆大鼠白细胞介素10（IL-10）cDNA的全长序列,并使其在大肠杆菌中表达,为其分子生物学利用奠定基础。方法:无菌条件下切取大鼠的脾脏,收获脾细胞,用LPS刺激培养4h;提取细胞的总RNA,用RT-PCR技术克隆IL-10cDNA的全长序列;经测序后将IL-10cDNA插入表达载体 pJW2,转染 DH5α细胞后进行热诱导表达并对表达蛋白进行测定。结果:脾细胞经LPS刺激后IL-10转录水平增加,从提取的RNA易反转录并扩增出期望的PCR产物,测序结果表明得到的IL-10CDNA序列与基因库报告的序列完全一致。将其插入表达载体pJW2后经热诱导顺利表达出蛋白分子量与文献报道一致。Western-blot分析表明表达的条带可与小鼠抗大鼠IL-10抗体特异性结合。结论:大鼠的IL-10cDNA全长序列被成功克隆,克隆序列能够在大肠杆菌中表达。     

MASP-2的EGF和SP功能区蛋白表达及其多克隆抗体制备

目的:克隆并原核表达甘露聚糖结合凝集素相关丝氨酸蛋白酶2(MASP-2)的EGF、SP功能区蛋白,制备其多克隆抗体,初步分析两个功能区蛋白的免疫原性.方法:从人胎肝组织提取总RNA,反转录得到cDNA作为模板分别扩增MASP-2的EGF、SP片段基因,再分别连接至pGEX-6P-2表达载体诱导表达GST融合蛋白;分离纯化融合蛋白后免疫适龄BALB/c小鼠制备多克隆抗体,Western blot法检测抗体特异性,间接ELISA检测抗体效价.结果:成功构建pGEX-6P-2-EGF和pGEX-6P-2-SP,并表达GST-EGF、GST-SP两种融合蛋白;制备出两种目的片段的多克隆抗体,特异性高,与其他蛋白无交叉反应,间接ELISA测定EGF抗体效价大于1∶32000,SP抗体效价大于1∶40000.结论:获得了MASP-2的EGF、SP两个功能区蛋白的多克隆抗体,特异性强,效价高.     

Specific serodiagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis using a Leishmania donovani antigen identified by expression cloning

A λgt11 expression library was constructed using mRNA from the promastigote form of Leishmania donovani (African isolate MHOM/ET/67/HU3). The library was screened with serum obtained from a patient who contracted visceral leishmaniasis in the Sudan. Several cDNA clones which expressed β-galactosidase/L. donovani antigen fusion proteins were isolated. One of these clones corresponded to a 60 kDa membrane-associated antigen. By a Western blot assay antibodies against the fusion protein were detected universally in the sera of visceral leishmaniasis patients. They were not detected in sera from patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis or other parasitic protozoan infections. The gene coding for this antigen was specific to the genus Leishmania as judged by DNA hybridisation, and its chromosomal location was conserved. A 20 kb mRNA was detected on Northern blots of promastigote RNA.     

Identification and characterization of antigenic determinants of Mycobacterium leprae that react with antibodies in sera of leprosy patients.

Antigenic determinants of Mycobacterium leprae were identified by screening a lambda gt11::M. leprae genomic library with two separate pools of sera from leprosy patients. A total of 45 recombinant clones were detected with pooled sera from 21 lepromatous (LL) leprosy patients and 5 additional clones specified polypeptides that reacted with antibodies in pooled sera from 30 borderline tuberculoid or tuberculoid leprosy patients. The recombinant clones that specified antigenic determinants that reacted with sera from LL patients were condensed into eight groups on the basis of DNA hybridization experiments among the M. leprae DNA insert fragments. In addition, 11 of the 45 recombinant clones did not hybridize to members of the eight groups nor to one another; these represent unique recombinant clones. None of the recombinant clones identified by screening with sera from tuberculoid leprosy patients hybridized to each other or to any of the 45 LL recombinant clones. The polypeptides specified by the recombinant clones were usually fusion proteins with beta-galactosidase, ranging in size from 117 to 175 kilodaltons (kDa). Members of hybridization group III specified nonfusion proteins of 45 kDa. Only members of hybridization group I reacted with any of 30 monoclonal antibodies prepared against M. leprae proteins; recombinant proteins from these clones reacted with a single monoclonal antibody directed against the M. leprae 65-kDa protein. Thus, at least 22 new antigenic determinants of M. leprae have been identified on the basis of their reactivity to antibodies in sera from LL patients or sera from tuberculoid leprosy patients or both.     

Antibodies to human papillomavirus type-16 in human sera as revealed by the use of prokaryotically expressed viral gene products.

Open reading frames of human papillomaviruses were expressed in Escherichia coli as beta-galactosidase fusion proteins. These bacterially derived papillomaviral gene products were used to examine sera from 67 women (63 healthy subjects, 4 patients with genital carcinoma) for antibodies to papillomavirus type-16 antigens (E1, E2, E4, E5, E6, E7, L1, L2) and the L2 proteins of HPV-6b and HPV-18 by Western-blot analysis. The serologic data were compared with cytological findings classified according to Papanicolaou and with nucleic acid hybridization data from cervical smears of the same individuals. Twenty-three of the normal individuals showed antibodies exclusively directed against L2 gene products; whereas in the sera from the four genital cancer patients, antibodies to the early gene products E4 and/or E7 could be detected. In one case these antibodies were found to be combined with antibodies to L2 of HPV-16 and -18 and in another case with those to E1 and E2 of HPV-16. In none of the sera examined could antibodies to L1, E5 or E6 be identified. Three of the antibody positive normal women were found to be also positive for HPV-16/18 DNA, while all of the 40 seronegative women were HPV-16/18 DNA negative. These data indicate that serology may be a valuable means to study the epidemiology of genital human papillomavirus infection.     

Analysis of the B cell repertoire against autoantigens in patients with giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica

The analysis of the antibody repertoire of patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) might identify target antigens of the autoimmune response with potential relevance to our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and to the development of serodiagnostic tests. To detect such antigens, we screened a cDNA library derived from normal human testis for antigens reacting with IgG antibodies in the 1 : 250 diluted sera of three patients with untreated GCA using SEREX, the serological identification of antigens by recombinant cDNA expression cloning. Of 100 000 clones screened with each serum, six, 28 and six clones, respectively, were positive, representing a total of 33 different antigens. Most of the antigens reacted only with the serum used for identification and/or at a similar frequency with normal control sera. However, lamin C and the nuclear antigen of 14 kD reacted specifically with 32% of GCA/PMR, but with none of the control sera, while human cytokeratin 15, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II, and a new gene product were detected preferentially, but not exclusively by sera from GCA/PMR patients. We conclude that patients with GCA/PMR develop antibodies against a broad spectrum of human autoantigens. Antibodies against human lamin C, the nuclear autoantigen of 14 kD as well as human cytokeratin 15, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II and the product of a new gene should be investigated further to determine their value as tools for the diagnosis and/or the definition of clinical subgroups of patients with GCA/PMR.     

Incidence of autoantibodies against type I and type II interferons in a cohort of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Slovakia.

Autoantibodies against interferon (IFN) can be found in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, detailed information about the occurrence of type-specific antihuman IFN antibodies is not available. In this study, we investigated the incidence of autoantibodies specifically recognizing various type I IFNs (alpha1, alpha2, beta, omega) and type II IFN (gamma). Sera from 100 SLE patients were screened for the presence of IFN-binding antibodies by ELISA, using various types of recombinant IFNs as antigen. On the whole, autoantibodies against type I or type II or both IFNs were detected in 45% (45 of 100) of the serum samples investigated. More than half (56%) of the positive samples (25 of 45) contained antibodies specific only for type I IFNs, and 36% of positive sera (16 of 45) had autoantibodies only against type II IFN. Antibodies against both type I and type II IFNs were detected in 8% (4 of 45) of the positive samples. Among autoantibodies to type I IFNs, the most abundant were those against the type IFN-omega (15%) and the subtype IFN-alpha2 (11%). Autoantibodies binding subtype IFN-alpha1 and type IFN-beta were detected at a relatively lower incidence of about 3%-4%. The highest occurrence (20%) showed autoantibodies to the proinflammatory cytokine, IFN-gamma. We did not find any correlation between the production of autoantibodies against particular IFN species and an antibody response to other IFN species. We further observed that 84% (38 of 45) of the positive sera bound only one IFN species, and 13% (6 of 45) of positive samples contained antibodies against two IFN species of five different combinations (alpha1/beta, alpha1/omega, alpha2/omega, alpha2/gamma, omega/gamma). One sample uniquely showed reactivity with three IFN species (alpha2/omega/gamma). Our findings suggest that formation of autoantibodies could reflect humoral immune responses to increased spontaneous production of the respective IFN species in SLE patients.     

Isolation and characterization of cDNA encoding the antigenic protein of the human tRNP(Ser)Sec complex recognized by autoantibodies from patients withtype-1 autoimmune hepatitis

We previously described autoantibodies against a UGA serine tRNA-protein complex (tRNP(Ser)Sec) in patients with type-1 autoimmune hepatitis [1] and now define the specificity and frequency of this autoantibody and the DNA sequence encoding the tRNA(Ser)Sec-associated antigenic protein. The presence of anti-tRNP(Ser)Sec antibodies was highly specific for type-1 autoimmune hepatitis, as 47.5% of patients were positive compared with none of the control subjects. To characterize the antigenic protein(s), we immunoscreened a human cDNA library with anti-tRNP(Ser)Sec-positive sera. Two clones (19 and 13) were isolated. Clone 19 encodes a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 48.8 kD. Clone 13 is a shorter cDNA, almost identical to clone 19, which encodes a 35.9-kD protein. Expression of both cDNAs was accomplished in Escherichia coli as His-tagged recombinant proteins. Antibodies eluted from both purified recombinant proteins were able to immunoprecipitate the tRNA(Ser)Sec from a HeLa S3 cell extract, demonstrating their cross-reactivity with the mammalian antigenic complex. Recent cloning data relating to the target antigen(s) of autoantibodies in autoimmune hepatitis patients that react with a soluble liver antigen (SLA) and a liver-pancreas antigen (LP) have revealed that these two autoantibodies are identical and that the cloned antigen shows 99% amino acid sequence homology with tRNP(Ser)Sec.     

Comparison of human sera reactivities in immunoblots with recombinant human herpesvirus (HHV)-8 proteins associated with the latent (ORF73) and lytic (ORFs 65, K8.1A, and K8.1B) replicative cycles and in immunofluorescence assays with HHV-8-infected BCBL-1 cells

The development of reliable, sensitive, and specific serological methods for the detection of human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8) antibodies is critical for a thorough understanding of HHV-8 prevalence and pathogenesis. To evaluate the potential usefulness of HHV-8 proteins in measuring the responses against both latent and lytic antigens, we selected 1 latent [open reading frame (ORF) 73] antigen and 3 HHV-8 lytic antigens (ORFs 65, K8.1A, and K8.1B) previously identified as immunogenic [Virology (1998) 243, 208-217]. Full-length genomic ORF 73 and full-length ORFs 65, K8.1A, and K8.1B from the cDNA clones were cloned, expressed in bacterial and baculovirus-insect cell expression systems, and purified as GST fusion proteins. These recombinant proteins were used in Western blot reactions to test sera from 104 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)+/Kaposi's sarcoma (KS)+ homosexual men, 77 HIV+/KS- homosexual men, and 84 age-matched HIV-/KS- men. These sera were also tested in immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) with uninduced and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced B cell lymphoma-1 cells to detect antibodies against latency-associated nuclear antigens (LANA) and antibodies against lytic antigens (cytoplasmic fluorescence). These sera exhibited differential reactivities reflecting different titers of antibodies against HHV-8 proteins, and variable reactivities were seen more commonly with the sera from HIV-/KS- adult men. In the Western blot assay, 89% (93 of 104) of HIV+/KS + sera, 60% (46 of 77) of HIV+/KS- sera, and 7% (6 of 84) HIV+/KS- sera were reactive with both latent and lytic recombinant antigens. Western blot reactions with ORF 73 protein were more sensitive than LANA-IFA results. The lytic IFA and lytic Western blot (ORFs 65 and K8.1A) assays were more sensitive than the ORF 73 Western blots and LANA-IFA. With an exception of 2 sera from the HIV-/KS- group, all sera positive for lytic IFA antibodies and ORF 65 and K8.1A antibodies were also positive for latent antibodies. With few exceptions, sera positive for ORF 65 antibodies were also positive for K8.1A antibodies, and sera recognized the K8.1A protein more often than the K8.1B protein. There is a high degree of concordance between IFA and Western blot reactions, suggesting that this panel of HHV-8 recombinant proteins could detect a majority of the HHV-8-seropositive individuals. These results suggest that IFA followed by confirmation with the Western blot reactions with a panel of latent and lytic immunogenic antigens would provide a reliable, sensitive, and specific method for the detection of HHV-8 antibodies.     

Demonstration of an amino terminal La epitope recognized by human anti-La sera

In order to study the antigenic properties of the La protein we have isolated a 1650 base pair (bp)-long human cDNA encoding an anti-La reactive protein. Restriction enzyme analysis and DNA sequencing was used to compare this clone with two published but inconsistent partial sequences. Our clone extends about 220 bp further towards the 5' end than the two clones previously studied and includes a putative initiation codon. When introduced into an expression vector, stable fusion proteins were made both from the initial clone and from two deletion clones. The recombinant proteins were tested by immunoblotting against a panel of anti-La sera. All reacted with the fusion protein produced by the 1650-bp clone. About half of the anti-La sera showed reactivity against the recombinant protein from the shortest deletion clone. This indicates the presence of an epitope in the amino terminal part of the La protein, encoded by sequences not present in previously published clones.     

Detection of Antiendometrial Antibodies in Sera of Patients With Endometriosis by Dual-Colored,Double-Labeling Immunohistochemical Method and Western Blot

PROBLEM : This study was undertaken to determine whether specific binding activities against endometrial proteins in sera of patients with endometriosis are detectable and, if so, to identify endometrial antigens involved in autoimmunity in endometriosis. METHOD : Sera from 33 patients with endometriosis and 20 cord sera (controls) were tested against endometria of patients and their protein extracts by dual-colored, double-labeling immunohistochemical method, and Western blotting. RESULTS : Antiendometrial binding activities were detected in sera of 2 (10.0%) control patients and 13 (48.2%) patients with endometriosis by the immunohistochemical method. Endogenous immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding to endometrial proteins had molecular weights (MW) of 26, 28, 54, 85, 107 and 116 kDa. Most sera of both control and patients showed reactivity against endometrial proteins with MW of 34, 36, 56 and 77 kDa. However, there were specific IgG autoantibodies reactive against the endometrial proteins of 71, 92, and 103 kDa in sera of 55.2% (16/29) of patients but not in the control sera. Over 80% (10/12) of patients' sera with binding activities detectable by the immunohistochemical method also tested positive by Western blot analysis. CONCLUSIONS : These data show that specific IgG antibodies reactive against endometrial antigens are detectable in sera from some patients with endometriosis.