Autoantibodies to nucleosomal proteins: antibodies to HMG-17 in autoimmune diseases.

The relative amounts of autoantibodies against defined nucleosomal proteins present in serums from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) have been examined by an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Autoantibodies to nucleosomal proteins were detected in 45 percent of the patients with SLE, 18 percent of the MCTD patients, and none of the RA patients. The results suggest that, in SLE, antibodies are formed against a subset of nucleosomes which contain protein HMG-17.