Glück M, Schrell U, Scherbaum W A
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Ulm, Germany.
Autoimmunity. 1993;14(4):299-305. doi: 10.3109/08916939309079232.
Autoantibodies to anterior pituitary ACTH cells have been described in the sera from patients with Cushing's disease. We were here able to show that true ACTH cell autoantibodies do not react with the hormone itself or with Fc receptors in ACTH cells. They rather recognize a distinct pituitary cell-specific cytoplasmatic autoantigen located in a juxtanuclear position. ACTH cells from human adult pituitaries express Fc receptors producing a non-specific broad and diffuse cytoplasmic binding of normal immunoglobulins. After preparation of Fc-free F(ab)2 fractions from human immunoglobulins it could be demonstrated by immunohistochemical methods that human adult pituitary ACTH cells also contain the fetal ACTH cell autoantigen. However, Fc receptors, ACTH hormone or other proopiomelanocortin- (POMC-) derived fragments and the ACTH cell autoantigen are all located at distinct intracellular sites. ACTH cells in human fetal pituitaries were shown to lack Fc receptors. Thus, with this source of antigen the characteristic autoantibody pattern can be detected with undigested sera.
在库欣病患者的血清中已发现针对垂体前叶促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）细胞的自身抗体。我们在此能够表明，真正的ACTH细胞自身抗体并不与激素本身或ACTH细胞中的Fc受体发生反应。它们反而识别位于近核位置的一种独特的垂体细胞特异性细胞质自身抗原。来自成人垂体的ACTH细胞表达Fc受体，可产生正常免疫球蛋白的非特异性广泛而弥散的细胞质结合。从人免疫球蛋白制备无Fc的F(ab)2片段后，通过免疫组织化学方法可证明成人垂体ACTH细胞也含有胎儿ACTH细胞自身抗原。然而，Fc受体、ACTH激素或其他阿片促黑激素皮质素原（POMC）衍生片段以及ACTH细胞自身抗原都位于不同的细胞内位点。已表明人胎儿垂体中的ACTH细胞缺乏Fc受体。因此，使用这种抗原来源，用未消化的血清就能检测到特征性的自身抗体模式。
