Rheumatoid arthritis and filaggrin. A review.

The most specific markers for rheumatoid arthritis are antibodies to keratinized epithelia, namely antiperinuclear factor, whose antigen target in human oral mucosal cells has exactly the same distribution as profilaggrin, and anti-rat esophagus antibodies directed against human filaggrin. In this review, we will discuss the large body of data on the nature and physiology of profilaggrin and filaggrin that has accumulated since the profilaggrin gene was cloned. The possible mechanisms and significance of loss of B-cell tolerance to filaggrin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are examined.