ICAP
AC-20 - Cytoplasmic fine speckled
Previous Nomenclature cytoplasmic speckled
Description Scattered small speckles in the cytoplasm mostly with homogeneous or dense fine speckled background. e.g. anti-Jo-1.
Antigen Association Jo-1/histidyl-tRNA synthetase
Clinical Relevance
First level information
About Clinical Relevance & List of Abbreviations

Found in patients with the anti-synthetase syndrome (a subset of AIM), interstitial lung disease, polyarthritis, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and mechanic’s hands; these features may occur in various combinations or as an isolated manifestation, especially interstitial lung disease (33, 90)

Autoantibodies associated with the AC-20 pattern are primarily reported for the anti-Jo-1 antibody, which recognizes histidyl-tRNA synthetase; since AC-20 is not specific for Jo-1, it is recommended to perform a follow-up test for anti-Jo-1 antibodies; the antigen is included in the routine ENA profile, as well as in disease specific immunoassays (i.e., inflammatory myopathy profile*); the anti-Jo-1 antibodies are included in the classification criteria for AIM (91, 92)

 

Notes: The fine distinction between AC-19 and -20 may depend on HEp-2 substrates and/or antibody concentration; antibodies to Jo-1 may be undetected in HEp-2 IIFA-screening.

 

*Availability of the inflammatory myopathy profile, the SSc profile and the (extended) liver profile may be limited to specialty clinical laboratories.

First level information references
33.
Satoh M, Tanaka S, Ceribelli A, et al. A comprehensive overview on myositis-specific antibodies: new and old biomarkers in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 2017;52:1-19.
90.
Marie I, Hatron PY, Cherin P, et al. Functional outcome and prognostic factors in anti-Jo1 patients with antisynthetase syndrome. Arthritis Res Ther 2013;15.
91.
Fritzler MJ, Choi MY, Mahler M. The antinuclear antibody test in the diagnosis of antisynthetase syndrome and other autoimmune myopathies. J Rheumatol 2018;45:444.1-5.
92.
Lundberg IE, Tja¨rnlund A, Bottai M, et al. 2017 European league against rheumatism/American college of rheumatology classification criteria for adult and juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies and their major subgroups. Ann Rheum Dis 2017;76:1955-64.
Second level information
None
Second level information references
None
FAQ
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?
 
 
Online since 19 May 2015