Anti-CENP-B response in sera of uranium miners exposed to quartz dust and patients with possible development of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

Abstract

(1) CENP-B is also the major target of the IIF-ACA response in diseases other than scleroderma and in the risk group of miners exposed to quartz dust. (2) Anti-CENP-B antibodies can be found in IIF-ACA-negative sera, particularly in those at risk for SSc. (3) The detection of anti-CENP-B antibodies in miners exposed to quartz dust may indicate a high risk group for developing SSc and reveals possibilities for the study of early pathogenetic changes as well as exogenic and endogenic factors involved in the development of this disease.