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This report describes the preliminary characterization of a novel antigen reactive with a murine monoclonal antibody designated B1N produced in our laboratory. This antibody (IgM) reacts in IFI with mammals and also insect cells, by staining in a speckled fashion the nucleus of these cells. Immunoblotting analysis of Hela and murine D55 nuclear extracts revealed a polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 120kD (p120). In this work we demonstrated that: 1. this polypeptide appeared in human peripheral blood lymphocytes only when they were induced to proliferate in vitro after phytohemagglutinin stimulation; 2. this polypeptide was no longer detected in D55 resting cells, following serum deprivation; 3. the MAb B1N specifically revealed the nucleus of proliferating cells on frozen sections of uterine tissue. These data strongly suggest that the p120 nuclear antigen expression is associated with the proliferation state of cells.

We report a new antibody specificity in 15 sera recovered from a group of dogs developing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or clinically related disorders. This antibody stains in a speckled fashion the nucleus of human Hep-2 cells. Immunodiffusion tests with saline extracts of rabbit thymus showed that all 15 sera generate a common precipitation line which crosses the lines from reference sera to Sm, SS-A/ro, SS-B/La, and RNP antigens. The target nuclear antigen is a 40 kD polypeptide (p40). An important property of p40 resides in its ability to bind specifically Wheat Germ Agglutinin lectin but not Concanavalin A, supporting the notion that the antigen is a glycoprotein bearing a N-acetylglucosamine moiety.

Using the sera from two patients with autoimmune disorders, we have identified by immunoprecipitation of HeLa cell extracts two proteins with apparent molecular masses of 37 kDa (p 37) and 32 kDa (p 32). These proteins are associated with 5 S RNA. They are antigenetically related to Xenopus laevis 5 S RNA transcription factor TFIIIA, which is very abundant in early oocytes of this species. In contrast to what is observed in X. laevis oocytes, the TFIIIA-related proteins of HeLa cells are present in very small amounts. Our data suggest that proteins p 37 and p 32 are involved in the control of 5 S RNA transcription.