Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies Are Associated With Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in the Sputum in Relatives of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.
M Kristen DemoruelleKylie K HarrallLinh HoMonica M PurmalekNickie L SetoHeather M RothfussMichael H WeismanJoshua J SolomonAryeh FischerYuko OkamotoLindsay B KelmensonMark C ParishMarie FeserChelsie FleischerCourtney AndersonMichael MahlerJill M NorrisMariana J KaplanBrian D CherringtonV Michael HolersKevin D DeanePublished in: Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) (2017)
Anti-CCP is elevated in the sputum of FDRs, including seronegative FDRs, suggesting that the lung may be a site of anti-CCP generation in this population. The association of anti-CCP with elevated cell counts and NET levels in FDRs supports a hypothesis that local airway inflammation and NET formation may drive anti-CCP production in the lung and may promote the early stages of RA development. Longitudinal studies are needed to follow the evolution of these processes relative to the development of systemic autoimmunity and articular RA.