Antibodies against the VRT101 laminin epitope correlate with human SLE disease activity and can be removed by extracorporeal immunoadsorption.

Objective: We have previously shown that murine pathogenic lupus autoantibodies bind to VRT101, a 21-mer peptide located at the globular part of the laminin-alpha chain. In this study, we evaluated whether VRT101 also serves as a target for human lupus antibodies, upholding the hypothesis that VRT101 may serve as a potential target in the therapy of lupus.

Methods: Anti-VRT101 and anti-dsDNA reactivity were measured in the serum of lupus patients and compared with that of healthy individuals and patients with other rheumatic disorders.