CITRULLINATED PEPTIDES FOR DIAGNOSING AND PROGNOSING RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

摘要

The present invention provides novel citrullinated peptides, their use in methods for aiding, assisting, improving, or facilitating the diagnosis or prognosis of rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and methods for identifying novel citrullinated peptides that are immunoreactive with anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs). The present invention also provides methods for detecting rheumatoid factor (RF) using novel RF detection reagents as a means to aid, assist, improve, or facilitate the diagnosis or prognosis of rheumatic diseases such as RA. Kits comprising at least one of the novel citrullinated peptides and/or RF detection reagents of the present invention are also provided.

主权项

1. A method for identifying a peptide that is immunologically reactive with an anti-citrullinated protein antibody, said method comprising:
(a) identifying at least one antigenic peptide epitope in at least one synovial fluid polypeptide, wherein said antigenic peptide epitope is predicted to be immunologically reactive with an anti-citrullinated protein antibody, wherein said antigenic peptide epitope contains at least one arginine residue, and wherein at least one of said arginine residues is citrullinated; (b) synthesizing a peptide that comprises at least one of said antigenic peptide epitopes; (c) contacting a biological sample from an individual having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with said peptide under conditions suitable to transform said peptide into a complex comprising said peptide and said anti-citrullinated protein antibody; and (d) identifying said peptide as being immunologically reactive with said anti-citrullinated protein antibody based on the presence or level of said complex.