Anti-Ro (SSA)/La (SSB) antibodies and Sjögren's syndrome

Abstract

Antibodies to Ro (SSA) and La (SSB) cellular ribonucleoprotein complexes are found in the circulation of patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS), mainly in those with the primary form of the syndrome. Their presence is associated with long disease duration, earlier disease onset, parotid gland enlargement, systemic manifestations and also with hypergammaglobulinemia, rheumatoid factors and monoclonal type II cryoglobulins. While anti-Ro (SSA) antibodies are not specific for SS, anti-La (SSB) antibodies seem to be specific. Studies of HLA class II molecules in Ss patients with and without these antibodies have shown that their production is under genetic control. Finally, there is no conclusive evidence relating pathogenetically these autoantibodies to tissue destruction in SS.

Tissue‐Resident Memory CD8+ T Cells Acting as Mediators of Salivary Gland Damage in a Murine Model of Sjögren's Syndrome

“…Clinically, SS manifests as sicca symptoms on mucosal surfaces, including oral and ocular dryness due to the destruction of secretory glands by lymphocytic foci with T cells and B cells . Serologically, the most notable autoantibodies are those recognizing antinuclear antigens (ANAs), RNP complexes (Ro/SSA and La/SSB), and type 3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (M3Rs) .…”

Predictive and prognostic value of antinuclear antibodies and rheumatoid factor in primary Sjogren’s syndrome

“…The severity of the lip biopsy results does not correlate well with disease activity or clinical symptoms 8 . In contrast, saliva flow rate is more closely correlated with the presence of ANA and anti‐SS‐A antibodies than with lip biopsy results 22 . In addition, the final diagnosis can change in up to 53% of cases when a second evaluation of the same labial salivary gland biopsy specimen is done 23 .…”

“…8 In contrast, saliva flow rate is more closely correlated with the presence of ANA and anti-SS-A antibodies than with lip biopsy results. 22 In addition, the final diagnosis can change in up to 53% of cases when a second evaluation of the same labial salivary gland biopsy specimen is done. 23 Recent animal studies showed that lacrimation and salivation are not related to lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal and salivary glands, 24 and that dysfunction in secretion is mediated by antimuscarinic acetylcholine receptor antibody.…”

Immunology of Diseases of the Oral Cavity

“…IgG, IgM, or IgA autoantibodies against ductal cell ribonucleotides, called SSA (Ro) and SSB (La), which appear to be dimers of 52 and 65 kDa, are found in SS but do not appear to be responsible for tissue destruction (Moutsopoulos and Zerva, 1990) and do not correlate with focal sialadenitis. Patients with primary disease show an increased association with HLA-DW3 and the P2X7 receptor (Lester et al, 2013).…”