Protein that triggers juvenile arthritis identified

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, or JIA, is the most common form of childhood arthritis. It appears to be an autoimmune disease, caused by antibodies attacking certain proteins in a person's own tissue. But no 'autoantigens'-- the proteins triggering an immune attack -- have been linked to JIA to date. Now, a new study offers evidence that a human protein called transthyretin (TTR) causes an autoimmune reaction in the joints of JIA patients.
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - Category: Science Source Type: news