Glycosylation and rheumatic disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other rheumatic diseases are associated with a significant defect in the galactosyltransferase enzyme that results in a profound change in the galactosylation of immunoglobulin G. This change has been demonstrated to be integrally associated with pathogenic mechanisms associated with inflammation in RA. It is not thought that these changes are unique to RA, but it is thought that there may be subtle changes in the disruption of glycosylation homeostasis causing a unique sugar change to be associated with a number of other rheumatic diseases. This is referred to as 'sugar printing the rheumatic diseases' and may be a concept useful both diagnostically and therapeutically.