Comprehensive investigation of disease‐specific short peptides in sera from patients with systemic sclerosis: Complement C3f‐des‐arginine, detected predominantly in systemic sclerosis sera, enhances proliferation of vascular endothelial cells

Abstract

This comprehensive peptidomics analysis revealed the predominance of DRC3f in the sera of patients with SSc. Investigation of DRC3f may be a useful tool for the diagnosis and evaluation of disease activity in SSc. Moreover, its demonstrated effects on endothelial cells suggest a potential role for DRC3f in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of SSc.