Mutated citrullinated vimentin

The detection of autoantibodies against citrullinated vimentin (MCV ) is a laboratory tool in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis ( RA).

Wherein RA is an autoimmune disease. The detection of specific autoantibodies (ie, antibodies against the body's own tissues) can assist the physician in the diagnosis of the disease and the treatment decision. This is particularly true for the early stages of RA, if not (yet ) there are no typical symptoms.

Basics

The citrullination of proteins is a physiological (ie naturally present in the body focal ) process in which a particular amino acid (arginine ) is converted into the atypical amino acid citrulline. The altered endogenous protein is considered by the immune system as foreign to the body, making it " directed against himself " in the formation of autoreactive (antibodies is that attack its own tissues and bring an inflammation reaction. The result is an autoimmune disease.

Citrullinated proteins were detected in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. One of these proteins is the mutated citrullinated vimentin (MCV ), which is identical to the antigen described in SS 1994.

The MCV antibodies are considered biomarkers for RA. The diagnostic and prognostic value of MCV antibody detection is higher than that of the rheumatoid factors.

The citrullination of vimentin is instrumental in the development of RA. In addition, a correlation between the MCV antibody concentration is detected with disease activity and severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

Importance

The medical benefits of MCV antibody detection lies in the early appearance of these biomarkers and thus the ability to be able to diagnose RA early stages and treat the disease before the onset of pain and damage.

With the development of Point - of-care test that combines the anti-MCV detection by the detection of rheumatoid factors and achieved a specificity of 99.7 %, important progress has been made, especially in the early diagnosis of rheumatism.

MCV antibodies are also important prognostic biomarker for assessing the course of rheumatoid arthritis addition, there is evidence of a correlation between the MCV antibody concentration and treatment outcome in RA.