[Anti-nucleic acid antibodies in children with systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic scleroderma and in their relatives living with the probands].

The nature of antibodies to nucleic acids was studied in children of a Caucasian region suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and systemic sclerodermia (SSD). Two types of antibodies (to two- and one-filament DNA) were revealed in SLE, and in SSD mainly--to one-filament DNA. Antibodies to RNA in patients with SLE were specific for two-filament conformation. Immunogenesis disorders of different degree with respect to DNA and RNA were found; this expressed itself in the synthesis of various classes of immunoglobulins to these antibodies (IgG to DNA and IgM to RNA). High incidence of the RNA-binding activity of relatives living together with probands is noted. These data point to a high occurrence of antibodies to denatured DNA and low incidence of the cases of DNA-binding activity in the blood sera of the patients' fathers and brothers. Thus a combination of three factors: viral, genetic and hormonal in the pathogenesis of this disease is possible.