THE NUCLEAR STAINING PATTERNS OF ANTINUCLEAR FACTORS OBSERVED WITH IMMUNOENZYME ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE

Abstract

By means of the indirect immunoenzyme antibody technique for the detection of antinuclear factors, the sere from 18 patients with SLE were examined, and nuclear staining patterns observed were classified as follows; diffuse, perinuclear, flecked, fine granular, and thready types. These five types had no relationship to the types of nuclear staining by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique. There were no changes in staining patterns under various fixative conditions, and serial dilution of sera did not result in a type different from the undiluted one. Good stainings were obtained when using glutaraldehyde as a bifunctional reagent. As to the sensitivity of the nuclear staining, immunofluorescent antibody technique were seemed to be superior to immunoenzyme antibody technique. The origins of these newly defined types were regarded as due to the factors other than specific nuclear antigens.