Autoantibodies against a serine tRNA-protein complex implicated in cotranslational selenocysteine insertion.
Abstract
We describe an autoantibody specificity present in a subgroup of patients with a severe form of autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. These antibodies precipitate a 90-nucleotide RNA from human whole cell extracts and recognize a 48-kDa polypeptide in immunoblotting assays. The RNA is a UGA suppressor serine tRNA that carries selenocysteine (tRNA[Ser]Sec)), as shown by sequence analysis. The protein does not appear to be seryl-tRNA synthetase; rather, it is an excellent candidate for a factor involved in cotranslational selenocysteine incorporation in human cells.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- October 1992
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.89.20.9739
- Bibcode:
- 1992PNAS...89.9739G