Anticitrullinated protein/peptide antibodies and rheumatoid factors: Two distinct autoantibody systems

Abstract

In a previous issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy, Ursum and colleagues report the relative stabilities of anticitrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPAs) and IgM rheumatoid factors during the course of rheumatoid arthritis and their differential correlation with markers of the acute-phase response. These findings add to a growing body of evidence highlighting the distinct nature of these two autoantibody systems and the role of ACPAs as a diseasespecific marker of rheumatoid arthritis. © 2009 BioMed Central Ltd.