Objective: To identify a Golgi complex autoantigen bound by Sjögren's syndrome (SS) autoantibodies.
Methods: Serum from a patient with secondary SS and anti-Golgi antibodies was used as a probe to isolate a complementary DNA (cDNA) insert from a HeLa cDNA library.
Results: A 3.7-kb cDNA encoding a 56-kd recombinant protein was immunoprecipitated by the human anti-Golgi serum and immune rabbit serum. Western blot analysis showed that the immune rabbit sera recognized a protein of 97 kd (golgin-97), suggesting that the isolated clone contained a partial cDNA. The 5' upstream sequence was obtained by rapid amplification of the cDNA ends. The complete cDNA contained 4,860 basepairs, encoding a protein with a calculated Mr of 88 kd. Antibodies to golgin-97 were found in 12 (20%) of 60 sera known to have anti-Golgi autoantibodies, and the majority of these sera (8 of 12, or 75%) were from patients who had secondary SS.
Conclusion: Golgin-97 is a unique Golgi complex antigen that appears to be a target of SS autoantibodies.