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Arthritis and Immunology Research Program

Morris Reichlin, M.D. Affiliate, Arthritis and Immunology Research Program Ben C. and Addie Mae Wileman Chair George Lynn Cross Research Professor, Department of  Medicine, RIA Division,   University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Director, OMRF Clinical Immunology Laboratory

Research Interests
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have a 10-50 times increased risk for the development of a heart attack or stroke. My research has found an immunological factor that may contribute to this increased risk, which is autoantibody to lipoprotein lipase (ALPL). This ALPL correlates with hypertriglyceridemia, and our present efforts are directed to the idea that this dyslipidemia is related to the premature atherosclerosis that underlies the increased risk of heart attack and stroke. This is being explored by the measurement of atherosclerosis by the carotid ultrasound at entry and the third year. We enrolled 212 SLE patients and 171 controls for the study.

Other projects in progress also focus on issues of immuno-pathogenesis in SLE. One study has found that SLE sera that react with ribosomal P protein always have a subpopulation of antibody preferentially reactive with the bovine ribosomal P protein, while subpopulations preferentially reactive with the human protein only occur in about 50 percent of the sera. This suggests that the bovine proteins may be involved in the initiation of the immune response to the ribosomal P protein in SLE patients. Previous studies of this issue in SLE heretofore have never exhibited this phenomenon. Thus, autoantibodies to Ro/SSA, La/SSB, Sm and U1RNP always react preferentially with the human protein.

Another project involves characterization of the serological reactions in SLE that best correlate with the development of glomerulonephritis. The current view of this is that anti-dsDNA antibodies are the most important specificity mediating the development of nephritis in SLE. To our surprise, while anti-dsDNA antibodies were linked to nephritis, stronger associations were found with anti-lipoprotein lipase (ALPL), particularly when associated with anti-ribosomal P proteins. Studies are in progress to explore the biological meaning of these observations.

Joined OMRF Scientific Staff in 1981.

Mailing Address
Arthritis and Immunology Research Program, MS 08
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
825 N.E. 13th Street
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104

Contact Information
Phone: (405) 271-6673
Fax: (405) 271-3980
E-mail: Morris-Reichlin@omrf.org