Characterization of Anti Liver Kidney Microsomal Antibody Associated with Chronic HDV Infection by Immunoblotting

Cytoplasmic antibodies directed against antigen(s) present in the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum have been reported in a proportion of patients with chronic HBV-HDV infection (Crivelli et al.,1981). While the immunofluorescence (IFL) pattern associated with LKMδ antibody is quite similar to that of the liver kidney microsomal antibody (LKM) described by Rizzetto et al. (1973) and associated with an autoimmune type of chronic active hepatitis (Thomas, 1980), the target antigen(s) was supposed to be different on the basis of blocking experiments. The target antigen of LKM antibody has been recently partially identified as a 50kD protein located in the membranes of the smooth endoplasm…

Serum antibodies to thymus epithelial cells in non-A, non-B and cryptogenic chronic liver disease

Antibodies against thymus epithelial cells (anti-TEC) and the basal cell layer (BCLA) of squamous epithelia have been described in association with HDV-related chronic liver disease (CLD). Data are lacking on their presence during nAnB virus infection. Sera from 51 patients with nAnB post-transfusion hepatitis, including acute and chronic cases diagnosed during a prospective study on candidates for cardiac surgery, and 167 with various forms of CLD were tested for the presence of anti-TEC and BCLA using indirect immunofluorescence on human thymus and rat forestomach sections. Both antibodies mainly occurred in nAnB, HDV and cryptogenic CLD (anti-TEC: 51%, 47% and 42%; BCLA: 29%, 38% and 31%…

Anti-HCV, anti-GOR, and autoimmunity