Are candidate autoantigens identified by mass spectrometry in early rheumatoid arthritis chaperones and citrullinated glycolytic enzymes?
Two categories of antigens, enzymes of the glycolytic family and molecular chaperones are also targeted by the early untreated RA autoantibody response. For some of them, and notably the FUSE-BPs, citrullination is involved in the immunological tolerance breakdown observed earlier in RA patients. Autoantibodies recognizing a citrullinated peptide from FUSE-BP may enhance the sensibility for RA of the currently available anti-CCP2 test.
Using a simple scoring system to stratify patients undergoing ETT into 3 risk groups, we were able to identify a low-risk group<10% and a high-risk group>30% for having a nondiagnostic ETT.