| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,100,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
Fiscal Year 1997: ¥2,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000)
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| Research Abstract |
Our previous studies have shown that the majority of C1q-binding IgG in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is composed of autoantibodies to the collagen-like region of C1q. We also showed that C1q-binding IgG in MRL/l mice, in contrast to human SLE, is large-sized immune complexes containing antibodies to DNA.DNase I digestion of C1q-binding IgG failed to diminish C1q-binding activity, suggesting that other negatively-charged substances might be present as antigens in these C1q-binding immune complexes.
This study was undertaken to characterize the antigens in C1q-binding immune complexes in MRL/l mice. Laminin and collagens were tested by ELISA, and glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, heparin, heparan sulfate) were examined by the effects of enzyme-digestion (hyaluronidase, chondroitinase, etc.) on C1q-binding activities of these immune complexes. In addition, the effects of phospholipases were also investigated for possible involvement of lipids in C1q-binding activity. No evidence, however, was obtained for the presence of these substances in the C1q-binding immune complexes.
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