AAbs to ribonucleoproteins are associated with a spectrum of rheumatic diseases.41 It is presumed that RNA‐binding proteins can activate B cells and thereby enable AAb production by interaction of the RNA with TLR‐7 or TLR‐8.42 Since we have also found these antibodies in individuals who are not suffering from an autoimmune disease (according to anamnesis), there is also the probability that anti‐ribonucleoprotein antibodies are also part of the natural autoantibody repertoire. This evidence concerns the gene TLR8 and autoimmune disease.