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Blood Test Tracker

Anti-Centromere B (CENP-B) Antibody

Measures antibodies against CENP-B, a protein at the center of chromosomes. They are linked to limited systemic sclerosis (CREST) and, in some people, to primary biliary cholangitis.

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert reviewAlso called CENP-B, CENP-B AbLOINC 53982-5

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What it is

CENP-B is a protein found in the centromere, the part of a chromosome that helps cells divide. In some people the immune system makes antibodies against it. This blood test measures how much of that antibody is in your serum. It is the same antibody family that produces the centromere glow (AC-3) on an ANA test. Some labs run it as one of the follow-up antibody tests after a positive ANA.

Why it matters

A positive result is most often linked to limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis, also called CREST. This can include hardening of the skin of the fingers, Raynaud's phenomenon (fingers that turn white, blue or red in the cold), swallowing problems, small calcium deposits under the skin and tiny red spots from widened blood vessels. It is also seen in some people with primary biliary cholangitis, a chronic liver condition, and some people have both. In people with Raynaud's phenomenon, a centromere pattern on an ANA test is linked to developing limited systemic sclerosis later. A negative result does not rule out systemic sclerosis.

If it’s high

A positive result means CENP-B antibodies were found. On its own it does not mean you have, or will get, a particular condition. Your clinician considers your symptoms, such as Raynaud's phenomenon, your exam, your ANA pattern and other tests.

Common causes

  • Limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (CREST)
  • Primary biliary cholangitis, a chronic liver condition (some people have both this and systemic sclerosis)
  • Raynaud's phenomenon, sometimes before other signs show up
  • Other conditions, including diffuse systemic sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune liver disease and interstitial lung disease

What can help

  • Ask how this result fits with symptoms such as color changes in your fingers, skin tightening or trouble swallowing
  • Ask whether you should see a rheumatologist
  • Ask whether your liver tests are worth checking

Usual ranges

What labs print as the reference range, by who was tested. Ranges differ a little between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against.

For adults: 0–1 AI. Source: Quest Diagnostics, ARUP Laboratories.

Quest Diagnostics result categories (assay-specific)

  • Negativebelow 1 AI
  • Positive1 and above AI

What can affect your result

  • Test method: Quest reports an antibody index (AI) and ARUP reports AU/mL, with different cutoffs
  • Sample quality: hemolyzed, lipemic or icteric samples may be rejected
  • Stage of illness: antibodies can be present in people with Raynaud's phenomenon before other signs appear
  • ARUP does not accept plasma, or samples that are contaminated, hemolyzed or severely lipemic. Quest rejects samples that are grossly hemolyzed, lipemic or icteric.
  • Results from different labs use different scales (AI at Quest, AU/mL at ARUP) with different cutoffs, so numbers are not interchangeable.

The result shows whether the antibody was present on the day of the draw.

When to talk to a clinician

A positive result is not an emergency. Talk with your clinician soon if your fingers turn white, blue or red in the cold together with skin tightening, sores on your fingertips, trouble swallowing or shortness of breath. Call your local emergency number for severe trouble breathing or chest pain.

Questions you could ask

  • Which scale and cutoff did my lab use, so I can compare future results?
  • How does this result fit with my symptoms, such as color changes in my fingers?
  • Should I see a rheumatologist?
  • Should my liver be checked as well?

Questions people ask

My ANA test showed a centromere pattern. Is this the same thing?

They are closely related. The centromere pattern on an ANA slide is mostly caused by antibodies to CENP-B. A CENP-B test looks for that antibody directly, and ICAP recommends confirming low-titer centromere patterns with a specific test like this one.

Does a positive result mean I have scleroderma?

Not by itself. These antibodies are most often linked to limited systemic sclerosis, but they are also seen in primary biliary cholangitis, in Raynaud's phenomenon and in other autoimmune conditions. Your clinician reads the result with your symptoms and exam.

Does a negative result rule out systemic sclerosis?

No. ARUP notes that a negative result does not rule out systemic sclerosis. If suspicion is still strong, clinicians may check an ANA by immunofluorescence and other antibodies, such as Scl-70.

Show the science and sources

For clinicians and researchers

CENP-B is one of the centromere proteins (CENP-A, CENP-B and sometimes CENP-C) that are targets of the antibodies behind the HEp-2 centromere pattern (AC-3). ICAP describes AC-3 as strongly associated with CENP-B antibodies and commonly found in limited cutaneous SSc, where it is part of the classification criteria. In combination with Raynaud phenomenon it is prognostic for onset of limited SSc, and it appears in a subset of PBC patients, who often have both conditions. ICAP recommends confirming low-titer centromere patterns with an antigen-specific immunoassay, and CENP-B is included in many routine ENA profiles (Damoiseaux 2019). Quest measures CENP-B antibody by immunoassay and reports below 1.0 AI as negative. ARUP measures IgG centromere antibody by a semi-quantitative multiplex bead assay and reports 29 AU/mL or less as negative, 30 to 40 as equivocal and 41 or more as positive. The two scales are assay-specific and cannot be converted. ARUP notes that a negative result does not rule out SSc, that the antibody is also seen in diffuse cutaneous SSc, Raynaud syndrome, interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, autoimmune liver disease, SLE and RA, and that if suspicion for SSc is strong, ANA by IFA and the Scl-70, U3-RNP, PM/Scl and Th/To antibodies can be considered. In 276 people with PBC in a Japanese registry, anticentromere antibodies were associated with a portal-hypertension type of progression and anti-gp210 with a hepatic-failure type (Hepatology 2007).

LOINC 53982-5 (primary), 8068-9, 53981-7. Specimen: serum.

Sources

  1. Centromere B Antibody (test code 16088), Quest Diagnostics
  2. Centromere Antibody, IgG (test 0050714), ARUP Laboratories
  3. Clinical relevance of HEp-2 indirect immunofluorescent patterns: the International Consensus on ANA patterns (ICAP) perspective, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2019)
  4. Report of the First International Consensus on Standardized Nomenclature of Antinuclear Antibody HEp-2 Cell Patterns 2014-2015, Frontiers in Immunology (2015)
  5. Anti-gp210 and anti-centromere antibodies are different risk factors for the progression of primary biliary cirrhosis, Hepatology (2007)
  6. LOINC codes verified with the NLM Clinical Tables LOINC search (e.g. 53982-5), U.S. National Library of Medicine

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review. Last reviewed 2026-10-03. How we build and check these pages.

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