Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disease. Many 
autoantibodies are closely associated with SLE. However, the specific epitopes 
recognized and bound by these autoantibodies are still unclear. This study 
screened the binding epitopes of SLE-related autoantibodies using a 
high-throughput screening method. Epitope prediction on 12 SLE-related 
autoantigens was performed using the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis 
Resource (IEDB) software. The predicted epitopes were synthesized into peptides 
and developed into a peptide array. Serum IgG from 50 SLE patients and 25 
healthy controls was detected using the peptide array. The results were then 
validated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The diagnostic 
efficiency of each epitope was analyzed using a ROC curve. Seventy-three 
potential epitopes were screened for using the IEDB software after the epitopes 
on the 12 SLE-related autoantigens were analyzed. Peptide array screening 
revealed that the levels of the autoantibodies recognized and bound by 4 peptide 
antigens were significantly upregulated in the serum of SLE patients (P < 0.05). 
The ELISA results showed that the 4 antigens with significantly increased serum 
autoantibodies levels in SLE patients were acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein 
(P0)-4, acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein (P0)-11, DNA topoisomerase 1 (full 
length)-1, and U1-SnRNP 68/70 KDa-1 (P < 0.05), and the areas under the ROC 
curve for diagnosing SLE on the basis of these peptides were 0.91, 0.90, 0.93, 
and 0.91, respectively. Many autoantibodies specifically expressed in the serum 
of patients with SLE can be detected by specific peptide fragments and may be 
used as markers in clinical auxiliary diagnoses.