The present invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule as set forth in SEQ ID NO:1 comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding full length chicken type II collagen (CCII), or a fragment thereof in possession of the same biological functions as well as CCII encoded thereof. It also relates to a method for producing CCII, and its use in the manufacture of a medicament for treating and/or preventing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The invention specifically relates to a pharmaceutical composition for treating and/or preventing osteoarthritis and RA, to a food or beverage composition, and to a food additive composition, containing CCII prepared according to the method described in this invention, and the use of the nucleic acid molecules of the present application in gene therapy.