The Role of the Laboratory in the Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Enzymatic Process of Citrullination

August 2011
Citrullination is an enzymatic process that results in a post-translational modification of arginine residues that are found in protein molecules. This process is mediated by peptidyl arginine deiminase. In the presence of calcium, a positively charged arginine residue is deiminated by the enzyme, ultimately releasing ammonia and forming a neutral amino acid referred to as citrulline. It has been demonstrated by numerous groups that the antibodies originally characterized as anti-perinuclear factor, anti-keratin antibodies, and anti-Sa antibodies are all specific for the citrullinated form of a variety of proteins.
Enzymatic Process of Citrullination |
Jump to section:
- Introduction
- Introduction to Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Risk Factors Associated with Development of Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Clinical Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 1987 Classification Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis
- 2010 Classification Criteria for Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Laboratory Evaluation of Patient with RA
- Utility of Rheumatoid Factor
- Discovery of Anti-Citrulline Antibodies
- Enzymatic Process of Citrullination
- Diagnostic Performance of Anti-Citrulline Antibodies
- Development of Clinical Assays for Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies
- Development of Clinical Assays for Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibodies
- Sensitivity and Specificity Comparison Anti-CCP and RF
- Summary
- Questions?


