Clinical Information

Sm is 1 of 4 autoantigens commonly referred to as extractable nuclear antigens (ENA). The other ENA are RNP, SS-A/Ro, and SS-B/La. Each ENA is composed of 1 or more proteins associated with small nuclear RNA species (snRNA) ranging in size from 80 to approximately 350 nucleotides. Antibodies to ENA are common in patients with connective tissue diseases (systemic rheumatic diseases) including LE, mixed connective tissue disease, Sjogren syndrome, scleroderma (systemic sclerosis), and polymyositis/dermatomyositis. A positive result for anti-Sm antibodies is consistent with a diagnosis of lupus erythematosus.