Correlation between the presence of antibodies to the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen type 2 and antibodies to the rheumatoid arthritis nuclear antigen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The incidence of antibodies to Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen type 2 (EBNA-2) was determined in sera from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and control subjects, by protein immunoblotting. Sixty-eight percent of the RA patients and 48% of the controls possessed anti-EBNA-2 antibodies. The titer of anti-rheumatoid arthritis nuclear antigen (RANA) in RA patient sera showed a stronger correlation with serum reactions to EBNA-2 than with reactions to EBNA-1. Our results indicate that the presence of EBNA-2 may make a major contribution to the RANA reaction.