The devil in the details: the emerging role of anticitrulline autoimmunity in rheumatoid arthritis
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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

An Adoptive Transfer Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Mice
Published on: June 6, 2025
Floris van Gaalen1, Andreea Ioan-Facsinay, Tom W J Huizinga
1Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of unknown cause. The immune response against citrullinated Ags has recently become the prime suspect for disease pathogenesis. Immunity against citrullinated Ags is thought to play a pivotal role in the disease for several reasons: 1) citrullinated Ags are expressed in the target organ, the inflamed joint; 2) anti-citrullinated protein Abs are present before the disease becomes manifest; and 3) these Abs are highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis. In this review, data from clinical, genetic, biochemical, and animal studies is combined to create a profile of this remarkable autoantibody response. Moreover, a model is proposed of how the anti-citrullinated proteins response is generated and how it could eventually lead to chronic inflammation.
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