Antigen specificity of antihistone antibodies in connective tissue disease patients with anti-U1RNP antibodies.

To determine the prevalence of antibodies to individual histone components in collagen disease patients with anti-U1RNP antibodies. Serum samples were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) and systemic sclerosis (SSc) showed similar levels and patterns of antihistone antibody (AHA) reactivities to individual histones: IgG responses to H2B or H3 and IgM responses to H2B were highest. However, both IgG and IgM AHAs against outer portion of chromatin (H1, H2A, or H2B) were generally higher in SLE compared with other diseases. SLE or SSc patients with anti-U1RNP antibodies showed generally higher AHA levels than in those without them. Thus, the pattern of reactivities to each histone component was dependent on the disease, while the intensity was dependent on both the disease and anti-U1RNP antibodies. The antigenic stimulus in SLE may be different from other connective tissue diseases and is more likely to be native chromatin.