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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2005, p. 56-59, Vol. 12, No. 1
1071-412X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.1.56-59.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Antinucleosome Antibodies and Decreased Deoxyribonuclease Activity in Sera of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Krisztina Sallai,1* Eszter Nagy,1 Beata Derfalvy,2 Györgyi Müzes,3 and Peter Gergely1

Central Laboratory of Immunology,1 1st Department of Paediatrics,2 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary3

Received 2 June 2004/ Returned for modification 8 July 2004/ Accepted 9 September 2004

Nucleosomes are the dominant autoantigens in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and immune complexes involving nucleosomes are the major cause of tissue damage. The activity of DNase I, the enzyme responsible for nucleosome degradation, has been found to be decreased in patients with SLE. However, it is not known whether DNase activity is a clinically useful parameter. The aim of our study was to assess DNase activity in a prospective study of 113 patients with SLE in relation to disease activity and organ involvement. We included two control groups: 9 patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) and 14 healthy individuals. DNase activity was found to be lower in patients with SLE (63.75% ± 12.1%) than in the controls (81.3% ± 9.25%) (P < 0.001). DNase activity in patients with UCTD (64.9% ± 18.2%; P = 0.854) did not differ from that in patients with SLE. Patients with SLE had higher antinucleosome antibody titers (356.3 ± 851) than the controls (1.44 ± 2.77; P < 0.01) or UCTD patients (39.9 ± 57.7; P < 0.01). In addition, samples positive for antinucleosome antibodies displayed low levels of DNase activity. Within the SLE group, the presence of renal disease had no impact on DNase activity or antinucleosome antibody titers. Also, the SLE disease activity index showed no correlation with DNase activity. In a longitudinal study of six SLE patients, DNase activity did not follow disease activity or autoantibody titers. Our results confirm that serum DNase activity is decreased in patients with SLE, but we conclude that it is not a clinically useful parameter for the prediction of flare-ups of disease or renal involvement.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Central Laboratory of Immunology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Mária u. 41, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary. Phone: 36-1-266-0926/5721. Fax: 36-1-266-0926/5737. E-mail: tina.sallai{at}freemail.hu.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2005, p. 56-59, Vol. 12, No. 1
1071-412X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.1.56-59.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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