These autoantibodies are present in nearly 95% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis, an autoimmune disease of the liver. In primary biliary cholangitis, activated T lymphocytes attack and destroy epithelial cells in the bile duct where this protein is abnormally distributed and overexpressed.
Nearly 95% of patients suffering from primary biliary cholangitis exhibit these autoantibodies; in this condition, activated T lymphocytes attack and destroy epithelial cells in the bile duct, leading to abnormal distribution and overexpression of this protein.