Increased antiretroviral antibody reactivity in sera from a defined population of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Correlation with autoantibodies and clinical manifestations.

OBJECTIVE: The implied role of retroviruses in the pathogenesis of murine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) led us to study antiretroviral antibodies in a population-based SLE cohort.
METHODS: Immunoassays using whole virus and synthetic peptides were performed on sera from 72 patients with SLE and 88 control subjects.
RESULTS: Reactions with whole baboon endogenous virus occurred more frequently in patients with SLE, and correlated with the presence of anti-RNP and anti-Sm. Some retroviral env and gag peptides, several of which were similar to U1 small nuclear RNP, reacted more strongly in patients with SLE, and their presence was correlated with discoid rash, hematologic disorder, and other symptoms.
CONCLUSION: These results provide circumstantial evidence for involvement of retroviruses in the pathogenesis of human SLE; further studies should be carried out using other techniques for measurement of retroviral expression.