calpastatin and Sjogren-s-Syndrome

The aim of our study was (i) to compare the clinical and biological characteristics of 148 (137 women, 11 men) primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) patients at diagnosis as a function of their sex and (ii) to assess the prognostic value of anti-calpastatin and anti-alpha-fodrin autoantibodies. In addition, the presence of anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-52- and 60-kDa Sjögren's syndrome A (SSA), anti-Sjögren's syndrome B (SSB), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies and rheumatoid factors (RF) of IgA, IgG and IgM isotypes was sought in sera collected at pSS onset. Raynaud's syndrome, significantly more frequent in women, was the only systemic manifestation of pSS whose frequency differed significantly as a function of the patient's sex (P = 0.02). ANA (P = 0.001) and anti-60-kDa SSA autoantibodies (P = 0.03) were significantly more common in women, while men never synthesized detectable levels of anti-SSB, anti-calpastatin or IgG anti-alpha-fodrin autoantibodies. In addition, anti-CCP autoantibodies were found in low percentages of pSS patients (4% F/18% M). The absence of autoantibodies does not exclude the diagnosis of pSS in men that will be based mainly on the anatomopathological findings of a minor salivary gland biopsy. Positivity of anti-60-kDa SSA, anti-SSB, anti-calpastatin, IgA and IgG anti-alpha-fodrin antibodies is not associated with pSS clinical and biological severity.

Topics: Autoantibodies; Autoantigens; Biomarkers; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Carrier Proteins; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin G; Male; Microfilament Proteins; Middle Aged; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Ribonucleoproteins; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Factors; Sjogren's Syndrome; SS-B Antigen

The objective of this study was to determine in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) the prevalence and clinical significance of anticalpastatin antibodies (ACAST), an autoantibody population previously detected in sera from patients with various connective tissue diseases. Eighty-four patients with SLE (mean age: 30 years at diagnosis, females 77) that fulfilled ACR criteria were included in the study retrospectively. Several clinical and biological data were collected. ACAST were detected by a solid-phase enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using as antigen a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 27 C-terminal amino acids of calpastatin (CAST-C27). The prevalence of ACAST-C27 was 13% (11/84) in SLE patients. No correlation was found between the presence of ACAST-C27 and clinical manifestations such as thrombosis and vasculitis. Furthermore, no correlation was observed with the presence ofantiphospholipid antibodies (APL). However, we found a statistically significant association between the presence of ACAST-C27 and that of secondary Sjögren syndrome (P = 0.01). The conclusion is ACAST-C27 are not associated with thrombosis in SLE patients. The association observed between ACAST-C27 and secondary Sjögren syndrome suggests that ACAST-C27 might be useful in discriminating a clinical subgroup of SLE patients.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid; Autoantibodies; Calcium-Binding Proteins; Child; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Humans; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Male; Middle Aged; Sjogren's Syndrome