Anti-Golgi Complex Autoantibodies in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome

Abstract

Commencing with the monograph by Henrik Sjogren (1), a number of investigators have delineated the numerous aspects of sicca syndrome (2-5), since then referred to as Sjogren's syndrome (SS). This disorder is characterized by an infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells into the exocrine glands, with resultant xerostomia and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. It can occur alone (primary SS), or in conjunction with another autoimmune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Production of a variety of autoantibodies is one of the immunological hallmarks of the syndrome (6). Of particular interest is the anti-Golgi complex (AGC) antibody, first detected by Rodriguez et al. (7) in 1982. This description was refined and extended by Fritzler et al. (8), but surprisingly very little information is available about this autoantibody.