Microarray based on autodisplayed Ro proteins for medical diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

A microarray-based immunoassay for the detection of autoantibodies against Ro protein was developed using Escherichia coli with autodisplayed Ro proteins (Ro(+)-E. coli). Patient serum usually contains various antibodies against the outer membrane components of E. coli as well as autoantibodies against the Ro protein. Therefore, the conventional immunoassay based on Ro(+)-E. coli requires both wild type E. coli (blank test) and Ro(+)-E. coli, and both strains of E. coli must be prepared in situ for each individual test serum. In this study, we tested the feasibility of using several types of animal sera as a replacement for individual human sera. An immunoassay without the blank test was developed using Ro(+)-E. coli by (1) blocking with rabbit serum, and (2) cleaving the F_c region from antibodies using papain. Modified E. coli with autodisplayed Ro protein was immobilized to a surface-modified microplate and the applicability of the immunoassay without the blank test was demonstrated using sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Using this approach, a microarray-based fluorescence immunoassay with immobilized Ro(+)-E. coli was able to detect anti-Ro autoantibodies in SLE patient sera with high specificity and selectivity and improved efficiency.