Transcriptional Signature Associated with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis and Healthy Individuals at high risk to develop the disease.

To identify biomarkers and transcriptomic pathways associated with the development of rheumatoid arhtritis, we performed a transcriptional analysis using a hole genome microarray to demostrate that a specific transcriptional signature is associated with the development of RA, and it exists since the beginning and presence of auto-antibodies against citrulinated proteins. Whole blood total RNA was obtained from non-treated early RA patients with <1 year of evolution as well as from healthy first-degree relatives of patients with RA (FDR) classified as ACCP+ and ACCP- according to their serum levels of antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptides. Cy3-labeled complementary RNA (cRNA) was synthetized and hybridized to high-density microarrays, analyzed in genespring and functional categories were assigned to a specific transcriptome identified in subjects with RA and FDR ACCP positive. Specific signaling pathways for genes associated to RA were identified.