- Differential Expression of Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein in Autoimmune Liver Diseases.
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Hyun Jung Kim, Jung Sun Kim, Yong Sang Lee, Young Hwa Chung, Han Joo Lee, Dong Jin Suh, Chong Jai Kim, Eunsil Yu
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Korean J Pathol. 2004;38(6):357-363.
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Abstract
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- BACKGROUND
Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is a primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC)-specific autoantigen.
Anti-PML antibody is analyzed using cultured cells with patient sera, however, PML expression has rarely been examined in liver tissues. METHODS In the present study, PML expression was examined immunohistochemically in paraffin embedded liver needle biopsy specimens obtained from 20 cases of PBC, 10 cases of autoimmune cholangitis, 36 cases of autoimmune hepatitis and from 5 cases of noninflammatory livers. RESULTS Variable PML immunopositivity was detected in the bile duct epithelial cells of 18 (90.0%) of 20 PBC cases and in all 10 cases (100.0%) of autoimmune cholangitis, whereas it was only present in 6 (16.7%) of 36 cases of autoimmune hepatitis (p<0.001). In contrast, hepatocyte PML immunopositivity was higher in autoimmune hepatitis (33/36 cases, 90.8%), than in PBC (10/20 cases, 50.0%) or autoimmune cholangitis (3/10 cases, 30.0%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Our data indicate that the differential expression of PML is closely related to autoimmune liver diseases type, and suggest that the overexpression of PML protein in bile duct cells is associated with the development of autoantibodies in patients with PBC or autoimmune cholangitis. Furthermore, PML immunoreactivity may be useful for the diagnosis of autoimmune cholangitis and overlap syndrome.
- Clinicopathologic Comparison between Autoimmune Cholangitis and Primary Biliary Cirrhosis.
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Gyeong Hoon Kang, So Dug Lim, Eun Sil Yu, On Ja Kim, Geun Chan Lee, Neung Hwa Park, Dong Jin Suh
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Korean J Pathol. 1998;32(2):115-124.
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Abstract
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- Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is characterized by histological findings of an immunoinflammatory destruction of small- and medium-sized bile ducts with progressive portal fibrosis, and the presence of anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) with a laboratory evidence of chronic cholestasis. The term "autoimmune cholangitis" (AIC) is used for a disease with the clinical and pathologic features of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) but with negative AMA and positive anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) tests. Eight cases of AIC and ten cases of PBC were reviewed in order to determine whether there was any difference between two diseases in clinico-pathologic aspects. All of the patients were female and the mean ages of AIC and PBC patients were 48 and 47 years, respectively. ANA test was positive in six of ten PBC paients and their mean titer was lower than that of AIC patients. IgM level was significantly higher in PBC group than in AIC group. No significant difference was found between two groups with respect to biochemical and histopathological features. Since the only consistently distinguishing features between these two conditions are the autoantibody profile (AMA vs ANA) and immunoglobulin level (IgM), these two conditions might be part of a spectrum. PBC can be considered to be the same as AMA-positive AIC or alternatively AIC to be the same as AMA-negative PBC.
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