Leiden University Scholarly Publications

Humphreys, J.H.; Verheul, M.K.; Barton, A.; Marshall, T.; Fu, B.; Toes, R.M.; ... ; Verstappen, S.M.M. 2015

ANTI-CARBAMYLATED PROTEIN ANTIBODIES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LONG TERM DISABILITY AND DISEASE ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS: RESULTS FROM THE NORFOLK ARTHRITIS REGISTER

Article / Letter to editor

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Hitchon, C.A.; Chandad, F.; Ferucci, E.D.; Willemze, A.; Ioan-Facsinay, A.; Woude, D. van der; ... ; El-Gabalawy, H.S. 2010

Antibodies to Porphyromonas gingivalis Are Associated with Anticitrullinated Protein Antibodies in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Their Relatives

Article / Letter to editor

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Objective. Anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) are relatively specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and predate disease. The oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis may play a role in... Show moreObjective. Anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) are relatively specific for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and predate disease. The oral pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis may play a role in breaking immune tolerance to citrullinated antigens. We studied a cohort of patients with RA and their relatives looking for associations between anti-P. gingivalis antibodies and ACPA. Methods. Patients with RA (n = 82) and their relatives (n = 205) from a North American Native (NAN) population were studied, along with 47 NAN and 60 non-NAN controls. IgM and IgA rheumatoid factor (RF) were tested by nephelometry and ELISA. Second-generation anticyclic citrullinatal peptide (anti-CCP2) isotypes and IgG anti-P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharides were tested by ELISA. HLA-DRB1 typing was performed by sequencing. Oral hygiene and smoking habits were assessed by questionnaires. Results. Autoantibody frequency in patients with RA and relatives: ACPA 91% vs 19%, respectively; IgM RF 82% vs 17%; IgA RF 48% vs 22%. Anti-P. gingivalis levels were higher in patients with RA compared to relatives and controls (p = 0.005) and higher in ACPA-positive patients with RA than in ACPA-negative patients with RA (p = 0.04) and relatives (p < 0.001), but comparable in RF-positive and RF-negative patients and relatives. Poor oral hygiene and smoking were prevalent, but with no clear association with autoantibodies. Relatives with 2 shared-epitope alleles were more likely to be ACPA-positive (OR 2.5, p = 0.02). Conclusion. In a genetically predisposed population of NAN patients with RA and their relatives, anti-P. gingivalis antibodies were associated with ACPA. These findings suggest that immune responses to P. gingivalis may be involved in breaking immune tolerance to citrullinated antigens. (First Release May 1 2010; J Rheumatol 2010;37:1105-12; doi:10.3899/jrheum.091323) Show less