Neonatal molecular pathologies induced by maternal anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies

Maternal antinuclear antibodies with anti-Ro or anti-La specificity might be pathogenic to the fetus and could induce molecular neonatal pathologies, such as neonatal lupus (NL) with or without congenital heart block (CHB).  The cutaneous manifestations of neonatal lupus appear at birth or a few weeks later, and skin lesions may persist for weeks. While CHB is characterized by intrauterine bradycardia or low heart rates at birth and may persist for months, depending on the degree of blockage. Clinical and experimental data demonstrated that anti-Ro and anti-La autoantibodies functionally inhibit L-type calcium channels and induce abnormalities in electrical conduction of the cardiac myocytes. It has been 38 years since the first clinical description of CHB. Presently, the pathophysiology of CHB has been clarified through clinical and basic research studies.