J Korean Rheum Assoc.  2007 Dec;14(4):340-344.

Clinical Significance of Autoantibodies to Glucose-6-phosphate Isomerase in Serum of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Byeon YM
• Kim SH
• Park SH

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Anti-glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) antibody (Ab) is known to be arthritogenic in K/BxN mice. Anti-GPI Ab is present in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but their clinical manifestations are not clearly elucidated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether GPI serves as a specific autoantigen in patients with RA and to investigate the relationship of anti-GPI Ab with clinical parameters of RA.
METHODS
Sera were collected from 54 patients with RA, 15 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and 28 healthy controls. The samples were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human recombinant GPI as antigen. Patients with RA were classified according to rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, the presence of RA shared epitope (SE), the presence of extraarticular manifestations, and evidence of bony erosive changes.
RESULTS
Serum levels of anti-GPI Ab were higher in patients with RA than controls (1599.46+/-1022.48 versus 344.82+/-223.16 AU, p<0.001), and the levels of patients with OA were also higher than controls (1161.47+/-917.44 versus 344.82+/-223.16 AU, p<0.01). In RA, there were no significant difference in anti-GPI Ab levels according to RF positivity, the presence of RA SE, the presence of extraarticular manifestations, and evidence of bony erosive changes.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that anti-GPI Ab may not be RA specific Ab and not related to the severity of RA.

Keyword

Anti-GPI antibody; Rheumatoid arthritis; Shared epitope

MeSH Terms

Animals
Arthritis, Rheumatoid*
Autoantibodies*
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase*
Glucose-6-Phosphate*
Humans
Mice
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Factor
Autoantibodies
Glucose-6-Phosphate
Glucose-6-Phosphate Isomerase
Rheumatoid Factor

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1. Antibodies to glucose-6-phosphate-isomerase (GPI) in serum of healthy controls, patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and with osteoarthritis (OA) by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (NS∗: not significant).

• 

  Fig. 2. In rheumatoid arthritis, there were no significant difference in serum anti-glucose-6-phosphate-iso- merase (GPI) antibody levels according to rheumatoid factor (RF) positivity, evidence of bony erosive changes, the presence of extraarticular manifestations, and HLA-DR4 positivity. NS∗: not significant, EAM∗∗: extraarticular manifestations.

• 

  Fig. 3. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there were no correlations between serum anti-glucose-6- phosphate-isomerase (GPI) antibody levels and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or C-reactive protein (CRP). NS: no significance.

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