Showing papers by "Eng M. Tan published in 1983"

Characterization of DNA in polyethylene glycol precipitated immune complexes from sera of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract: The nature and the quantity of DNA present in the circulating immune complexes (ICs) from 30 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was characterized. DNA was extracted from IC enriched material prepared by polyethylene glycol precipitation of serum and the extracted DNA was labelled with 32P-phosphate. The size and the nature of DNA was determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. The quantity of DNA in the PEG precipitates from sera of 10 clinically active SLE was found to be significantly higher (mean 159 X 10(4) ct/min, range 49.9-807 X 10(4) ct/min) than 10 normal controls (mean 24.7 X 10(4) ct/min, range 8.7-47.8 X 10(4) ct/min). Four different sizes of DNA fragments were detected: 370-470, 150-240, 30-40 and 20 base pairs (bp). DNA of 30-40 bp and 20 bp were frequently present in both SLE and normals, but the other two large sized DNA fragments were particularly prominent in SLE patients. In the majority of samples, DNA fragments appeared double stranded.

Autoantibodies in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abstract: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease which has engaged the clinical and research efforts of many groups of investigators, including rheumatologists, nephrologists, dermatologists, and hematologists. In addition, many immunologists interested in mechanisms underlying autoimmunity have studied patients with SLE and models of this disease in experimental animals. There is abundant evidence showing that immune complexes are involved in the generalized vasculitis and more specifically in the nephritis seen in patients with SLE. The immune complex disease is known to be related to circulating autoantibodies, and in this chapter we shall discuss the current information available concerning autoantibodies to intracellular antigens in SLE.