Anti-SIRT1 autoantibody is elevated in ankylosing spondylitis: a potential disease biomarker

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the presence of specific autoantibodies in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an immune-mediated inflammatory disease. The object of this study was to explore potential autoantibody profiles in AS patients. RESULTS: Levels of anti-SIRT1 autoantibodies were significantly higher in AS (P < 0.001) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) (P < 0.01) patients but not rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared with healthy controls. Additionally, titers of anti-NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin-1(SIRT1) antibodies were significantly higher in AS patients than in RA (P < 0.05) and PsA (P < 0.05) patients. Moreover, levels of anti-SIRT1 (P < 0.001) antibodies were significantly higher during the first year in patients with hip joint involvement. The anti-SIRT1 antibody positivity rate was 18.9% in AS patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that anti-SIRT1 autoantibodies may serve as a marker for diagnosing AS and predicting hip joint involvement at an early stage. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12865-018-0280-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.