Q: What is UT-ABCD?

Ans: UT-ABCD (Autoantibody Comprehensive Database) is a collaboration between The University of Tokyo and ProteoBridge Corporation, offering detailed data on serum autoantibodies across various human disorders. Utilizing the HuPEX® array, which displays 13,352 autoantigens, this platform is instrumental for diagnosing and researching autoimmune diseases among other conditions.

Q: I could not find my gene of interest.

Ans: If you can’t find a specific gene, it may be due to the gene symbols not being included in our cDNA library, unsuitability for protein translation in the wheat germ cell-free system, or non-inclusion in NCBI Build 35 (UCSC hg17) annotations we use in the database.

Q: I queried my gene of interest and found multiple gene symbols listed in tandem.

Ans: This occurs because the HuPEX® clones are organized based on the protein level. When the amino acid sequences of products are common among multiple genes, their gene symbols are all listed together.

Q: How were the serum autoantibody levels quantified?

Ans: Autoantibody levels in the serum are quantified by analyzing the fluorescence signals from dilution series of human immunoglobulin G on the HuPEX® array, with 100 arbitrary units (AU) corresponding to the fluorescence strength of undiluted positive controls.

Q: What does the box plots represent?

Ans: Box plots were defined as follows: the middle line corresponds to the median; the lower and upper hinges correspond to the first and third quartiles; the upper whisker extends from the hinge to the largest value no further than 1.5 times the interquartile range (IQR) from the hinge; the lower whisker extends from the hinge to the smallest value at most 1.5 times the IQR of the hinge; and the white circles indicate outliers.

Q: What does “TRIM21(1-400)” mean?

Ans: "TRIM21(1-400)" indicates a truncated version of TRIM21, covering amino acids 1 to 400, and lacks the protein’s immunoglobulin-binding domains. This truncated version is included in the database to avoid the difficulties in differentiating autoantibody signals from background noise due to the binding nature of full-length TRIM21.

Q: What does “POLR3A_D” mean?

Ans: "POLR3A_D" represents a truncated form of POLR3A (RNA polymerase III), which improves anti-RNA polymerase III antibody detection.

Q: Will new data be added in the future?

Ans: Yes, we are working on additional serum samples derived from a variety of human disorders.

Q: Can I download the raw data?

Ans: No, downloading the raw data is not permitted because the informed consent provided by the participants does not authorize sharing it with third parties.