Antinuclear antibody or antinuclear factor

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are the collective name of a group of autoantibodies most commonly found in the serum of patients with autoimmune rheumatism (connective tissue disease). The target antigen is the nuclear component of eukaryotic cells, but it also includes certain cytoplasmic and Cytoskeleton composition. Antigens in nuclear chromatin include DNA, histones, high mobility group (HMG) proteins, DNA topoisomerase-1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA / eyclin), RNA polymerase-1, and nucleolar domains (nueleolus organizing regions, NOR) related proteins, etc .; the antigens in the nucleus are ribonucleoproteins, including U1-U6 RNA, transfer RNA (tRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hn RNA), and many other Other small RNAs, that is, the combination of small nuclear RNA (snRNA) and specific proteins, such as U1, U2, U4 to U6 RNP (Sm antigen), U1 RNP, hnRNP, etc .; the target antigen on the nuclear membrane is mainly called A group of proteins that are membrane pore complexes and lamins on the inner layer of the nuclear membrane. In addition, there are some ribonucleoproteins in the cytoplasm, namely small cytoplasmic RNP (scRNP) such as Ro / SS-A antigen. The resulting mechanism is unclear. Some antinuclear antibodies have relative disease specificity, such as anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies and anti-Sm antigen antibodies in the serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); anti-Scl-70 (DNA topology Constructase-1) antibodies and the like. Since the target antigens of many antinuclear antibodies are nucleic acids and proteins with specific molecular structures and functions in the nucleus, the binding of autoantibodies to them may have an effect on cell proliferation and corresponding functions.