Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic auto-immune disease principally effecting synovial joints. RA is characterized by immune cell infiltration in the joint. The presence of autoantibodies is a hallmark for the disease, among these are rheumatoid factor and antibodies against post-translational modified proteins like citrullination (ACPA) and carbamylation (anti-CarP antibodies). These autoantibodies may form immune complexes in the joint, leading to the attraction of immune cells. Based on the presence of these autoantibodies, RA patients can be subdivided in autoantibody positive and negative disease. Both subsets can be associated with genetic and environmental risk factors for RA, like the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele and smoking. Autoantibodies can already be detected years before disease onset in a subgroup of patients and at symptom onset a broad isotype spectrum is observed. This suggests that various events occur prior to the development of RA in which the first autoantibodies develop in predisposed individuals. Therefore, the presence of these autoantibodies can be useful in predicting future RA patients. Research on the characteristics and effector function of these autoantibodies is ongoing and will give more knowledge in the inflammatory responses underlying RA. This will give insight in the pathogenic role of autoantibodies in RA. Recent data are suggestive of a role for mucosal surfaces in the development of auto-immune responses associated with (the development of) RA. In conclusion, investigating the potential pathogenic effector functions of autoantibody isotypes and their molecular- and physicochemical-compositions might improve understanding of the disease origin and its underlying immunological processes. This may lead to the development of new therapeutic targets and strategies.

中文翻译：

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类风湿性关节炎自身抗体概述。

类风湿性关节炎 (RA) 是一种全身性自身免疫性疾病，主要影响滑膜关节。RA的特征在于关节中的免疫细胞浸润。自身抗体的存在是该疾病的标志，其中包括类风湿因子和针对瓜氨酸化 (ACPA) 和氨基甲酰化 (抗 CarP 抗体) 等翻译后修饰蛋白的抗体。这些自身抗体可能在关节内形成免疫复合物，从而吸引免疫细胞。根据这些自身抗体的存在，RA患者可以细分为自身抗体阳性和阴性疾病。这两个亚群都可能与 RA 的遗传和环境风险因素有关，如人类白细胞抗原 (HLA) 等位基因和吸烟。在一个亚组患者中，在疾病发作前数年就可以检测到自身抗体，并且在出现症状时可以观察到广泛的同种型谱。这表明各种事件发生在 RA 发展之前，其中第一个自身抗体在易感个体中发展。因此，这些自身抗体的存在可用于预测未来的 RA 患者。对这些自身抗体的特征和效应子功能的研究正在进行中，并将提供更多关于 RA 潜在炎症反应的知识。这将深入了解自身抗体在 RA 中的致病作用。最近的数据表明粘膜表面在与 RA（发展）相关的自身免疫反应的发展中的作用。综上所述，研究自身抗体同种型及其分子和物理化学成分的潜在致病效应子功能可能会提高对疾病起源及其潜在免疫过程的理解。这可能会导致开发新的治疗靶点和策略。