Evidence of an early role of the adaptive immunity and immune activation in the lungs of these patients comes from a proteomic study where two shared citrullinated vimentin peptides have been described in bronchial tissue form early rheumatoid arthritis patients and synovial tissue from patients with established disease, offering some clues on an immune process initiated in the lungs [25]. The gene discussed is VIM; the disease is rheumatoid arthritis.