Fig. 1

Isotype specific immunoreactivity towards carbonyl-modified vimentin in control (smokers and non-smokers) versus stable COPD subjects. Serum samples were screened for IgG (a) and IgM (b) immunoreactivity against MDA-modified vimentin using ELISA. The dotted line in panels (a) and (b) represents a threshold set at two standard deviations from the mean for non-smoking control subjects, above which immunoreactivity is considered positive. Panel (c) displays the ratio of IgG to IgM immunoreactivity for each subject. Antibody titres were determined as detailed in materials and methods. Results are expressed as mean titre ± SEM for each patient group. Statistical analysis was performed using one way ANOVA with multi-comparison Fisher's post-hoc analysis