Neuronal anti-nuclear antibody in paraneoplastic sensory neuronopathy.

Sera from 3 patients with a paraneoplastic sensory neuronopathy and small cell carcinoma of the lung were found to contain an IgG directed against neuronal nuclei and the nuclei of cells in adrenal medulla. Plasma from one of these patients was injected into laboratory mice for 100 days but passive transfer of the syndrome could not be effected. Plasma did not affect the viability of the dorsal root ganglia cells in tissue culture but did appear to bind to their nuclei. The role of this antibody remains uncertain.