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| Previous Nomenclature | nuclear rim, nuclear membrane, membranous |
| Description | Homogeneous staining of the nucleus with greater intensity at its outer rim and no staining at the metaphase and anaphase chromatin plates. There is a peculiar accentuation of the fluorescence at the points where adjacent cells touch each other. e.g. anti-lamin B. |
| Antigen Association | lamins A,B,C, or lamin-associated proteins |
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Clinical Relevance
First level information About Clinical Relevance & List of Abbreviations |
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▶ The AC-11 pattern is infrequently found in routine autoantibody testing and has been described in autoimmune-cytopenias, autoimmune liver diseases, linear scleroderma, APS, and SARD; current information on clinical associations is based mainly on case reports and small cohorts (58–60) ▶ Antigens recognized include lamins (A, B, C) and LAP-2; specific immunoassays for these autoantibodies are currently not commercially available (58–60) |
| First level information references |
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58. Coppo P, Clauvel JP, Bengoufa D, et al. Autoimmune cytopenias associated with autoantibodies to nuclear envelope polypeptides. Am J Hematol 2004;77:241-9. 59. Konstantinov K, Foisner R, Byrd D, et al. Integral membrane proteins associated with the nuclear lamina are novel autoimmune antigens of the nuclear envelope. Clin Immunol Immunopathol 1995;74:89-99. 60. Reeves WH, Chaudhary N, Salerno A, et al. Lamin B autoantibodies in sera of certain patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. J Exp Med 1987;165:750-62. |
| Second level information |
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None |
| Second level information references |
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None
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| FAQ |
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How to deal with just a “nuclear speckled” IFA report? In my practice I have followed patients with ANA findings, with a nuclear speckled pattern (without specifying whether fine/dense/coarse), in patients with very heterogeneous phenotypes, some with a clinical picture that suggests further investigation of systemic autoimmune disease (one patient with proximal muscle weakness and skin thickening) and others who represent only non-specific findings. In such situations, as a precaution, I request more specific autoantibodies. However, this pattern (nuclear speckled pattern) is not described by the "ICAP" and I am in doubt about which antigenic association it represents, even to guide which autoantibody may be present and which ones to look after. How to interpret this pattern? Does the lab describe it when it is not possible to "refine" such a conclusion? Could this be associated with deficiency in the methodology, sample, interpretation? |