[Rinsho Byori 51 : 615〜626, 2003]

A Hypothesis about Anti-DNA Antibody

Yutaka TAJIMA, MD*

"Anti-DNA antibody" is the antibody which can bind DNA molecules. It is well accepted that this antibody, especially in anti-double strand DNA antibody, has a high disease specificity for SLE. Usually, the antibody is detected by using DNA molecule as a binding target in the clinical laboratory test performed in vitro. However, it is quite unknown what the antibody is actually attacking in vivo. This review will introduce many findings known to date and try to solve the mystery of anti-DNA antibody with a hypothesis that the antibody nonspecifically crossreacts to negatively charged substances(e. g., polysaccharides) in vivo. Probably, a type of charge interaction is dominantly involved in this binding.

*Clinical Laboratory, Saga Medical School Hospital, Saga 849-8501