Antibodies to 14-3-3η Found in Large Vessel Vasculitis Save

14-3-3η (eta) is a new test that may be useful in diagnosing patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. The test is 77% sensitive and 93% specific for RA and developers have found that antibodies against 14-3-3η may correlate with drug responsiveness.

Researchers from Cleveland Clinic examined aorta samples from 11 patients with large vessel vasculitis (LVV) and 11 controls and also examined sera from 23 LVV and matched controls and demonstrated that 78% of patients with large vessel vasculitis have antibodies to 14-3-3η.

14-3-3η is one isoform from a family of chaperone proteins involved in intracellular and extracellular signaling. 14-3-3η is not known to have a pathogenic role in RA but has also been shown to induce numerous proinflammatory mediators. The role of antibodies against 14-3-3η in the pathogenesis of vasculitis is unknown and merits further study.