Chapter 78 – Antifodrin Antibodies

Alfa-fodrin is a cytoskeleton protein present in most cells of the body but abundant in glandular cells. In apoptosis, alfa-fodrin is cleaved into smaller fragments. At least two of these fragments are neoantigens and elicit a cellular and humoral immune response. Immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG antibodies against alfa-fodrin are associated with primary Sjogren syndrome. The exact sensitivity and specificity of antibodies against alfa-fodrin for Sjogren syndrome varies, since they correlate with disease activity and duration. In most studies they were found to be present in approximately two-thirds of the patients. Since they do not correlate with the presence of antibodies against SS-A (Ro), they may be useful in the detection of patients with Sjogren syndrome lacking these autoantibodies.