The La/SS-B antigen is a 47kD ribonucleic protein that is associated with a spectrum of small RNAs (2). La/SS-B appears to be readily susceptible to proteolysis, resulting in many smaller (42, 320, and 270kD) but still immunoreactive polypeptides (3). It has been shown that the La/SS-B antigen primarily resides in the nucleus (2). It appears to be associated with RNA polymerase III transcripts (4). It has also been shown that the La/SS-B antigen shows strong conservation across species (5). Anti-La/SS-B autoantibodies were described originally as precipitating autoantibodies in sera of Sjogren's Syndrome patients and referred to as SjT.(1) A precipitin with the same properties was rediscovered later and termed La and then SS-B. Anti-La/SS-B precipitins.The presence of autoantibodies against the La/SS-B antigen has been advocated as a diagnostic aid in Sjogren's Syndrome patients (6). Autoantibodies against La/SS-B are also commonly found in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Subacute Cutaneous Lupus (4). In addition, there appears to be a correlation between anti-La/SS-B and the absence of nephritis in SLE patients. Studies have demonstrated that SLE patients with precipitating Anti-Ro/SS-A antibodies have a high incidence of serious nephritis (53%), while those with both Anti-Ro/SS-A and Anti-La/SS-B have a low (9%) frequency of nephritis (7).
Source:E. coli.
Applications:Suitable for use in ELISA. Other applications not tested.
Recommended Dilution:Optimal dilutions to be determined by the researcher.
Storage and Stability:May be stored at 4°C for short-term only. For long-term storage, aliquot and store at -20°C. Aliquots are stable for at least 6 months at -20°C. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial after thawing and prior to removing the cap. Further dilutions can be made in assay buffer.
