Antibodies to the 70-kDa heat-shock protein in patients with thermal burns.

Autoantibodies in the sera of patients with thermal burns, which bind to a protein in the intercellular substance of the epidermis, have been previously described. By immunoblot analysis, we have shown that a 68-kDa epidermal protein is the predominant antigen to which these autoantibodies bind. Our study also demonstrates that this 68-kDa epidermal protein is similar to the bovine brain 70-kDa heat-shock protein (hsp 70). In addition, we have detected significantly elevated levels of IgG antibodies to the bovine brain hsp 70 in all of the sera from random burned patients (n = 33), in comparison with the levels in the sera of normal, healthy controls (n = 43, P < 0.0001). The precise role and significance of these autoantibodies and their influence on the immune system in burned patients remain to be determined.