Anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies can recognize vascular endothelial cell-bound anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody-associated autoantigens.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA) are strongly associated with the development of systemic vasculitis. Myeloperoxidase and proteinase-3 have been identified as targets for P-ANCA and C-ANCA, respectively. Both enzymes are released from neutrophil azurophil granules following neutrophil activation and both are highly cationic. Purified myeloperoxidase is demonstrated to bind non-convalently to endothelial cell membranes, to retain its enzymic function following binding, and to retain its antigenicity for P-ANCA. Endothelial cell-bound myeloperoxidase enhances complement-dependent cytotoxicity of some P-ANCA sere that also contain anti-endothelial cell antibodies. Studies using purified proteinase-3 show that it also can bind to endothelial cells and be recognized by C-ANCA. The interactions of myeloperoxidase and proteinase-3 with endothelial cells and ANCA may thus contribute to the development of vascular injury in patients with systemic vasculitis.