Detection of Anti-Endothelial Antibodies by Western Blotting - Positive Correlation with Coronary Artery Disease: After Cardiac Transplantation

Abstract

Accelerated coronary artery disease is the most serious complication following cardiac transplantation. The disease has a multi-factorial aetiology, with little agreement about the relative importance of the various risk factors. Here we have investigated the occurrence of anti-endothelial antibodies against human umbilical vein endothelial cells using one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting. Peptide specific anti-endothelial anti-bodies were found in 15/21 heart transplant recipients with accelerated coronary artery disease, and 1/20 transplant patients who have not developed the disease. Positive immunofluorescence of patients’ serum on frozen sections of coronary vessels confirmed the endothelial specificity of antibodies. These results provide evidence of an immune aetiology for transplant-associated coronary artery disease which could have important implications for its diagnosis and therapy.