The 1st International Workshop in the Molecular and Cell Biology of Autoan tibodies and Autoimmunity is convened at a time when recombinant DNA tech niques have yielded the first set of data providing initial glimpses of epitopes recognized by autoantibodies. It's aim is to bring together cell and molecular biologists with clinical scien tists to discuss the broad spectrum of questions concerning the relationship be tween clinical symptoms and the specificity of autoantibodies. The response to the call for abstracts was overwhelming: Nearly one hundred abstracts were received from many laboratories throughout the world. The topics covered by them are representative of the current research efforts going on to study cause and effect of autoimmune diseases. One of the aims of this workshop is to bring the rapid advances in the elucidation of the molecular structure of auto antigens to the attention of immunologists, cell biologists and clinical scien tists and also to make molecular biologists bei6ple aware of the difficulties lying ahead in trying to understand the cellular and molecular basis of rheumatic dis eases. The organisers wish to thank NIH, BMFT and the Japanese Educational Foundation for financial support, the Heidelberg Academy for the Humanities and Sciences for hosting the workshop, Springer Verlag for their generous cooperation in including late abstracts in this volume, and, last not least, Ms. Simone KRAMBS for untiring secretarial help.

Clinical and Etiopathogenetic Significances of Autoantibodies to the Cellular Antigens in Systemic Connective Tissue Diseases

Cloning of a cDNA-Fragment Coding for an Epitope Recognized by Anti-PM/Scl-Autoantibodies
Fibrillarin from Xenopus laevis: cDNA Cloning and Expression During Development
Nuclear Receptors as Transcriptional Enhancers
Multiple Components of SS-A/Ro Autoantigen: cDNA Cloning of the 52 kDa Protein
Autoantibodies to Nuclear Envelope Proteins: Characterization and Clinical Significance
Cloned Human snRNP Proteins B and B? Differ Only in Their Carboxy-Terminal Part
Antibodies to Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) from Autoimmune Sera Detected by Immunoblot on Tissue Extracts
Analysis of the 60 kD Ro Protein - hY RNA Complex: An RNA Recognition Motif Within Ro Protein is Required for Binding to hY 1 RNA
Monoclonal Autoantibodies Against Nuclear Proteins
Alterations of the Macrophage System in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Developing NZB/W Mice
Cytoskeletal Proteins: Major Antigens in Autoimmune Diseases
Leucine Periodicity of U2 snRNP Autoantigen A? Implicated in U2 snRNP Protein: Protein Interactions
Epitope Mapping of the Recombinant Human U1 snRNP 68 k Protein
Molecular Characterization of the PM/SCL Antigen
Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. A Model for the Study of the Autoimmune Phenomenon
Immunogenetic Studies in Patients with Scleroderma-Associated Autoantibodies
The TH Ribonucleoprotein Particle: Identity with RNase MRP and Association with RNase P
Immunoregulatory Effects of Borrelia Burgdorferi Antigens in Patients with Chronic Lyme Disease
Molecular Mimicry: A Common Epitope of the (U 1) snRNP Associated p68 Autoantigen and a Protein of a Human Pathogenic Virus
Human Autoantibodies to SynaptonemalComplex
Immunolocalization and Number of Transcriptionally Active rRNA Genes in Vertebrate Cells
Mapping of Autoimmune Reactive Sites on snRNP Proteins
Clinical Significances of Rare Autoantibodies to Small Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Ribonucleoproteins
Molecular Cloning and Expression of cDNAs Encoding snRNP Polypeptide Autoantigens
U 1-68 Kd Protein-Positive Mixed Connective Tissue Disease is Associated with HLA-DR4 and Appears Genetically Distinct from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
A Novel Trait of Naturally-Occurring Anti-DNA Antibodies: Dissociation from Immune Complexes in Neutral 0.3-0.5 M NaC1
Immunoblotting Analysis in Antigenic Components of Circulating Immune Complexes of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic: Lupus Erythematosus Patients
The Human La Autoantigen Contains an RNA Binding Domain and an ATP Binding Domain
Autoantibodies to "HSP 70 Class" Proteins in Sera of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Patients and Healthy Subjects. A Spontaneous Expression of HSP 70 Autoantibodies
Cross-Reactive Rheumatoid Factor in Rheumatoid Arthritis with Extra-Articular Disease
Profiles of Anti-Nuclear Antibodies in Scleroderma Spectrum Disorders
Desmin Antibodies in Acute Myopericarditis
Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Improved Diagnosis and Attempts Towards the Molecular Analysis of Etiology and Pathogenesis of These Systemic Rheumatic Diseases
Characterization of the snRNP Protein N: Description of a Potential Sm Epitope
Antigenic Structure of U snRNPs and Experimental Induction of Anti-U snRNP Autoantibodies in Mice
The U 1 RNA Binding Site of the U 1 snRNP-Associated A Protein Overlaps an Anti-U1 RNA Antibody Binding Site
Anti-Ribosomal P Protein Antigens and Antibodies
Molecular Identification of theM2 Antigens of Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
Molecular Biological Identification of Autoantigens in Autoimmune Hepatitis - Relevance for Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases: an Overview
A New Autoantibody Specific for the Limited Systemic Sclerosis (lSSc) Found Through Molecular Biology
Determination of an Epitope of the Diffuse Scleroderma Marker Antigen Topoisomerase I. Sequence Si