Abstract
A distinct antinuclear antibody reacting with a celluler component which showed a characteristic expression pattern is reported. In immunofluorescence, the new antibody, termed anti-Na, stained approximately 20_??_30% of HEp-2 cells with a varigated speckled pattern. Anti-Na was differentiated from anti-PCNA by 1) discrete speckling on mitotic cells, 2) staining of the anaphase cells and 3) a negative immunodifusion test: and from ACA (Anti-Centromere Antibodies) by discrete speckling observed only on mitotic cells. Although the preliminary study showed that approximately 1% of SLE patients had anti-Na, exact frequencies of the anti-Na antibodies in rheumatic diseases and their clinical significances remain to be clarified.
