Autoantibodies directed to centromere protein F in a patient with BRCA1 gene mutation

Fiona Moghaddas, Fredrick Joshua, Roberta Taylor, Marvin J. Fritzler, Ban Hock Toh

Autoantibodies directed to centromere protein F were first reported in 1993 and their association with malignancy has been well documented. We present the case of a 48-year-old Caucasian female with a BRCA1 gene mutation associated with bilateral breast cancer. Antinuclear autoantibody immunofluorescence performed for workup of possible inflammatory arthropathy showed a high titre cell cycle related nuclear speckled pattern, with subsequent confirmation by addressable laser bead immunoassay of the target antigen as an immunodominant epitope at the C-terminus of centromere protein F. Here we review the current literature on centromere protein F, its association with breast cancer and present the first case of this antibody being identified in a person with a BRCA1 gene mutation.