Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

The diagnostic significance of anti-Type II collagen antibody assay in rheumatoid arthritis

  • Published:
International Orthopaedics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

An improved enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of anticollagen antibodies in human serum has been developed. With the use of this method, antibodies against native human Type II collagen were detected in 22.7% of sera from 480 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The antibodies were found to be collagen type specific, showing no reaction with human Type I and Type III collagens. The antibodies appeared in high incidence during the early phase of the disease, and RA patients with involvement of a single joint, mono-articular arthritis, were often positive for anti-Type II collagen antibodies. In most of these patients, anti-Type II collagen antibodies preceded the appearance of rheumatoid factors. The antibodies were all negative in sera from patients with gout, osteoarthritis (OA) and non-arthritic diseases. Thus, anti-Type II collagen antibody assay may have diagnostic significance for RA patients, especially those in whom laboratory and clinical findings provide only minimal help in diagnosis.

Résumé

En vue de détecter des anticorps anti-collagène dans le sérum humain, une technique améliorée du test ELISA a été mise au point. Par cette technique on a détecté dans 22.7% des échantillons rassemblés chez 480 patients atteints d'arthrite rhumatoïde (AR), des anticorps contre le collagène Type II d'origine humaine. Ces anticorps agissent sur un type spécifique de collagène et restent inactifs vis à vis des collagènes naturels d'origine humaine de Type I et III. Les anticorps apparaissent avec une grande fréquence pendant la première phase de la maladie et les patients atteints d'une seule localisation d'AR, c'est à dire d'une monoarthrite, sont souvent positifs aux anticorps anti-collagène Type II. Chez la plupart de ces patients les anticorps anti-collagène Type II ont précédé l'apparition des facteurs rhumatoïdes. D'autre part, on a constaté que ces anticorps ne sont pas présents dans le sérum des patients atteints de goutte, d'ostéo-arthrose et de maladies non arthrosiques. Par conséquent la recherche d'anticorps anti-collagène Type II pourrait jouer un rôle important dans le diagnostic d'AR, en particulier chez les malades pour lesquels l'examen clinique et les examens de laboratoire ne fournissent que peu d'éléments en faveur de ce diagnostic.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Canada)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Andripoulos NA, Mcstecky J, Miller EJ, Bradley EL (1976) Antibodies to native and denatured collagens in sera of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 19: 613–617

    Google Scholar 

  2. Beard HK, Lca DJ, Ryvar R (1979) Anomalous reactions in the haemagglutination assay for anticollagen antibodies. Studies on patients with rheumatoid arthritis or chronic low back pain. J Immunol Methods 31: 119–128

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beard HK, Ryvar R, Skingle J, Greenbury CL (1980) Anticollagen antibodies in sera from rheumatoid arthritis patients. J Clin Pathol 33: 1077–1081

    Google Scholar 

  4. Clague RB, Shaw MJ, Holt PJL (1980) Incidence of serum antibodies to native type I and type II collagens in patients with inflammatory arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis 39: 201–206

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ebringer RW, Rook G, Swan GT, Bottazzog F (1981) Autoantibodies to cartilage and type II collagen in relapsing polychondritis and other rheumatic diseases. Ann Rheum Dis 40: 473–479

    Google Scholar 

  6. Eeckhout Y, Cambiasco CL, Riccomi H, Vaes G, Masson PL (1979) Agglutination of IgG-coated particles by collagen. FEBS Lett 107: 69–72

    Google Scholar 

  7. Epstein EH Jr (1974) [al(III)]3 human skin collagen. Release by pepsin digestion and preponderance in fetal life. J Biol Chem 249: 3225–3231

    Google Scholar 

  8. Foidart JM, Abe S, Martin GR, Zizic T, Barnett EV, Lawley TJ, Katz SI (1978) Antibodies to type II collagen in relapsing polychondritis. N Engl J Med 299: 1203–1207

    Google Scholar 

  9. Fujii K, Tsuji M, Murota K (1986) Isolation of peripheral nerve collagen. Neurochem Res 11: 1439–1446

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fujii K, Tsui M, Murota K, Terato K, Shimozuru Y, Nagai Y (1989) An improved enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of anti-collagen antibodies in human serum. J Immunol Methods 124: 63–70

    Google Scholar 

  11. Gay S, Ward WQ, Gay R, Miller EJ (1980) Autoantibodies to basement membrane collagen. Epidermolysis bullosa simplex versus bullous pemphigoid. J Cutan Pathol 7: 315–317

    Google Scholar 

  12. Greenbury CL, Skingle J (1979) Anti-cartilage antibody. J Clin Pathol 32: 826–831

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kojev M, Menzel EJ, Smolen JS, Zielinski C (1978) Detection of collagenase in passive haemagglutination using collagen-coated erythrocytes. Klin Wochenschr 90: 733–736

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mackel AM, DeLustro F, Harper F, LeRoy C (1982) Antibodies to collagen in scleroderma. Arthritis Rheum 25: 522–531

    Google Scholar 

  15. McCarty DJ (1972) Methods for evaluating rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis and allied conditions, 8th edn, JL Hollander, DJ McCarty (eds). Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia Jr, pp 419–438

  16. Menzel J, Steffen C, Kolart G, Kojer M, Smolen J (1978) Demonstration of anticollagen antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fluids by 14C-radioimmunoassay. Arthritis Rheum 21: 243–248

    Google Scholar 

  17. Michaeli D, Fudenberg HH (1974) The incidence and antigenic specificity of antibodies against denatured human collagen in rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Immunol Immunopathol 2: 153–159

    Google Scholar 

  18. Miller EJ (1971) Isolation and characterization of a collagen from chick cartilage containing three identical chains. Biochemistry 10: 1652–1659

    Google Scholar 

  19. Miller EJ (1973) Structural studies on cartilage collagen employing limited cleavage and solubilization with pepsin. Biochemistry 11: 4903–4909

    Google Scholar 

  20. Steffen C (1969) Tissue antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis and other connective tissue diseases. Ann Immunol 1: 47–58

    Google Scholar 

  21. Stuart JM, Dixon FJ (1983) Serum transfers of collagen-induced arthritis in mice. J Exp Med 158: 378–392

    Google Scholar 

  22. Stuart JM, Huffstutter EH, Townes AS, Kang AH (1983) Incidence and specificity of antibodies to type I, II, III, IV and V collagen in rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases as measured by 1251-Radioimmunoassay. Arthritis Rheum 26: 832–840

    Google Scholar 

  23. Suou T, and Hirayama C (1980) Antibodies to denatured bovine collagen in sera of patients with liver disease. Clin Exp Immunol 39: 119–124

    Google Scholar 

  24. Terato K, Hasty KA, Cremer MA, Stuart JM, Townes AS, Kang AH (1985) Collagen-induced arthritis in mice: Localization of an arthritogenic determinant to a fragment of the type II collagen molecule. J Exp Med 162: 637–646

    Google Scholar 

  25. Terato K, Arai H, Shimoruzu Y, Fukuda T, Tanaka H, Watanabe H, Nagai V, Fujimoto K, Okubo F, Cho F, Honjo S, Cremer MA (1989) Sex-linked differences is susceptibility of cynomologus monkeys to type II collagen-induced arthritis: evidence that epitope-specific immune suppression is involved in the regulation of type II collagen autoantibody formation. Arthritis Rheum 32: 748–758

    Google Scholar 

  26. Terato K, Shimozuru Y, Katayama K, Takemitsu Y, Yamashita I, Miyatsu M, Fujii K, Sagara M, Kobayashi S, Goto M, Nishioka K, Miyasaka M, Nagai Y (1990) Specificity of antibodies to type II collagen in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 33: 1493–1500

    Google Scholar 

  27. Trentham DE, Townes AS, Kang AH (1977) Autoimmunity to type II collagen: An experimental model of arthritis. J Exp Med 146: 857–868

    Google Scholar 

  28. Watson WC, Cremer MA, Wooley PH, Townes AS (1986) Assessment of the potential pathogenicity of type II collagen autoantibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence of restricted 1gG 3 subclass expression and activation of complement C5 to C5a. Arthritis Rheum 29: 1316–1321

    Google Scholar 

  29. Yoo TJ, Stuart JM, Kang AH, Townes AS, Tomoda K, Dixit S (1982) Type II collagen autoimmunity in otosclerosis and Menière's disease. Science 217: 1153–1155

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-Shinbashi, Minato-ku, 105, Tokyo, Japan

    K. Fujii, M. Tsuji, A. Kitamura & K. Murota

Authors
  1. K. Fujii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Tsuji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Kitamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. Murota
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fujii, K., Tsuji, M., Kitamura, A. et al. The diagnostic significance of anti-Type II collagen antibody assay in rheumatoid arthritis. International Orthopaedics 16, 272–276 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00182710

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00182710

Keywords

Search

Navigation