IgM and IgG antinuclear antibodies (ANA) have been compared for their ability to produce hematoxylin bodies (ECM) and LE cells. At equivalent ANA concentrations (determined by immunofluorescent staining of rabbit liver nuclei), IgM formed ECM indistinguishable from those produced by IgG but, even at very high concentrations, failed to produce LE cells. Inability of IgM ANA to produce LE cells is probably due to lack of complement fixation rather than to a difference in antinuclear specificity.
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