IgG as antigen in human rheumatoid disease

Although the events underlying the expression of rheumatoid factor in patients with rheumatoid arthritis remain unknown, evidence from both human and animal studies has suggested a role for altered or complexed IgG. Similarly, altered or complexed IgG may also participate in initiating and sustaining inflammation in this disease. Potentially relevant differences in the glycosylation and conformation of rheumatoid IgG compared to IgG from healthy individuals have been detected by several investigators. The latter observations have raised new possibilities concerning mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and, in particular, the production of rheumatoid factor.