Evidence for the chemical modification of collagen in rheumatoid arthritis.

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Abstract
All the rheumatoid collagen shows an increase in gelatin formation with time of pronase digestion in contrast to the normal collagen which does not change. The primary structure of collagen derived from rheumatoid tissue is different from normal collagen. This difference may be either a cause or a result of the disease or may even be the result of general inflammation of the disease tissue. The collagen is chemically modified in rheumatoid tissues. Peptide bonds cleaved by pronase in rheumatoid collagens should be examined.