To characterize autoantibodies to chromatin components in patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).
The sera of 50 children with JRA were analyzed for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) by immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques.
By immunofluorescence, ANA and antibodies to high-mobility group proteins or to DNA-free histones were common in patients with pauciarticular JRA and rheumatoid factor-positive polyarticular JRA. However, reactivity with histone-DNA complexes was rare.
Because antihistone antibodies detected by ELISA failed to bind chromatin or other histone-DNA complexes, they are not likely to represent the immunofluorescent ANA activity in serum.