Anti-α-fodrin autoantibody is an early diagnostic marker for childhood primary Sjögren's syndrome

• Published in: Journal of rheumatology 2001-02, Vol.28 (2), p.363-365
• Main Authors: KOBAYASHI, Ichiro, KAWAMURA, Nobuaki, OKANO, Motohiko, SHIKANO, Takaaki, MIZUMOTO, Masahiko, HAYASHI, Yoshio, KOBAYASHI, Kunihiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Autoantibodies - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Carrier Proteins - blood; Carrier Proteins - immunology; Child; Female; Humans; Immunoblotting; Male; Medical sciences; Microfilament Proteins - blood; Microfilament Proteins - immunology; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; Sjogren's Syndrome - blood; Sjogren's Syndrome - immunology
• ISSN: 0315-162X; 1499-2752

alpha-fodrin is a recently identified autoantigen associated with adult primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We tested whether anti-alpha-fodrin antibody could also be used as a diagnostic marker for childhood SS. We performed immunoblot analysis of sera from 7 patients with childhood primary SS using glutathione-S-transferase alpha-fodrin fusion protein as an antigen. Anti-alpha-fodrin antibody was detected in sera from all 7 patients with childhood primary SS, 2 of 4 with secondary SS, and one of 7 with systemic lupus erythematosus, but in no other healthy controls. The anti-alpha-fodrin autoantibody was detected before anti-SSA or SSB antibody became positive; thus anti-alpha-fodrin antibody could be a useful marker for the early diagnosis of SS.