Table 10: AC Patterns (www.anapatterns.

org)
AC Nucleus Chromatin Nucleolus Specific ANA Associated autoinflammatory
Pattern staining stained? stained? diseases
+ yes; - no; or other conditions
+/- both possible
Nuclear
1 Nuclear + +/- Nucleosome SLE, drug induced Lupus, AIH, JIA
homogenous (dsDNA, ssDNA,
histone)
2 Nuclear dense + - DFS70/ LEDGF apparently healthy individuals (if no
fine speckled other specific ANA)
3 Centromere ++ - CENP-A/B limited SSc (SjS, SLE, PBC)
(coarse
speckles, 40-
80)
4 Nuclear fine - +/- SS-A/B, SS-A/B: SjS, SLE, subacute cutaneous
speckled Mi-2, TIF1γ, TIF1β, lupus, neonatal lupus
Ku Mi-2/Tif: DM
Ku: SLE/ SSc-IIM overlap syndrome,
(SLE)
5 Nuclear - +/- Sm, U1RNP, Sm: SLE
large/coarse RNA polymerase III U1RNP: MCTD, SLE, SSc/IIM-Overlap
speckled RNA Polymerase III: SSc (diffuse)
6 Multiple - - Sp-100, PML broad spectrum,
nuclear dots proteins, MJ/NXP-2 SP-100/PML: PBC, MJ/NXP-2: IIM
(6-20) (DM: specific)
7 Few nuclear - - p80-coilin, SMN p80‐coilin: rarely in SLE, SSc, and SjS
dots (1-6) (survival of motor SMN: rarely in IIM or SSc‐AIM
neurons protein) overlap syndrome
Nuclear with nucleolar staining
8 Homogenous - + PM/Scl-75, PM/Scl- PM/SCL: SSc, IIM, SSc-IIM overlap
nucleolar 100, Th/To. (SLE, SjS)
B23/nucleophosmi anti-Th/To: SSc (limited), SLE (IIM,
n, nucleolin, UCTD SSc sine scleroderma,
No55/SC65 idiopathic interstitial lung disease)
others: significance unknown
9 Clumpy peri- + U3-RNP/fibrillarin SSc (diffuse, PAH, severe course,
nucleolar chromosomal African American, Latin American
patients)
10 Punctate - + RNA polymerase I, SSc, (SjS); RNA pol I (together with
nucleolar NOR-90 RNA pol III)
Other nuclear patterns
11 Smooth - - lamins A, B, C Infrequent, e.g.
nuclear lamin-associated PBC, autoimmune-cytopenias, liver
envelope proteins diseases, linear scleroderma,
antiphospholipid syndrome
12 Punctate - - nuclear pore gp 210: PBC
nuclear complex proteins p62: PBC, SLE
envelope (gp210, p62, LBR, LBR: PBC
Tpr) Tpr: PBC, autoimmune liver diseases,
SLE, SSc, SjS
13 PCNA-like perichromosomal - PCNA SLE
(pleomorphic (SSc, AIM, RA, HCV)
speckled
nucleoplasmic
staining)

1
EULAR | Education
Seestrasse 240 | 8802 Kilchberg | Switzerland
T: +41 44 716 30 30
education@eular.org | esor.eular.org
 14 CENP-F like Mitotic cells - CENP-F Crohn’s disease, autoimmune liver
(nuclear stained disease, SjS,
speckled) graft-versus-host disease, several
malignancies
Cytoplasmatic
15 Cytoplasmatic - - (F-)actin, AIH type 1, chronic HCV, celiac
fibrillar linear non-muscle myosin disease
16 Cytoplasmatic - - cytokeratin, not typically found in connective
fibrillar vimentin, tissue diseases
filamentous tropomyosin cytokeratin: HCV, COPD, pulm.
fibrosis
vimentin: Neurofibromatosis
cycl. vimentin: Rheumatoid arthritis
17 Cytoplasmatic - - alpha-actinin, actinin: SLE, AIH Type I
fibrilllar vinculin vinculin: chronic inflammatory
segmental demyelinating neuropathy
18 Cytoplasmatic - - GW (182) variety of diseases, neurolog.
discrete dots symptoms
19 Cytoplasmatic - - PL-7, PL-12, PL-7/12: anti-synthetase syndrome
dense fine ribosomal P ribosomal P Proteins: SLE, AIH
speckled proteins
20 Cytoplasmatic - - Jo-1 antisynthetase syndrome
fine speckled
21 Cytoplasmatic - - mitochondrial Often: PBC, also SSc, PBC-SSc
reticular/ structures: PDC- overlap/ PBC-SjS overlap
anti E2/M2, BCOADC-
mitochondrial E2, OGDC-E2, E1α,
(AMA) E3BP/protein X
22 Polar/Golgi- - - golgi structures: variety of conditions
Like giantin/macrogolgi low percentage:
n, golgin- SjS, SLE, RA, MCTD, GPA, idiopathic
95/GM130, golgin- cerebellar ataxia, paraneoplastic
160, golgin-97, cerebellar degeneration, adult onset
golgin-245 Still’s disease, viral infections
23 Rods an rings - - IMPDH2 HCV patients
Mitotic positive: mitotic cells are stained
24 Centrosome - - pericentrin, ninein, Low percentage:
Cep250, Cep110 localized scleroderma, SSc, Raynaud,
SLE
25 Spindle fibres - - HsEg5 SjS and SLE (not specific)
26 NuMa like - - NuMa SjS, SLE, UCTD, limited SSc, or RA
(Nuclear
speckled
staining with
spindle fibers)
27 Intercellular - - CENP-E, CENP-F, very rare
bridge TD60, MSA36, KIF- SSc (limited and diffuse),
„Midbody“ 14, MKLP-1, Raynaud’s phenomenon, SLE,
MPP1/KIF20B malignancies, neurological diseases
28 Mitotic + - DCA, MCA-1,5, DCA: SLE
chromosomal (pro/metaphase) modified histone, MCA1: malignancies
H3 MCA5: discoid lupus erythematosus,
chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, SjS,
polymyalgia rheumatica
29 DNA - + + DNA- Ssc (diffuse)
topoisomerase topoisomerase
/SCL70

2
EULAR | Education
Seestrasse 240 | 8802 Kilchberg | Switzerland
T: +41 44 716 30 30
education@eular.org | esor.eular.org