Association of pepsin with type II collagen (CII) breaks control of CII autoimmunity and triggers development of arthritis in rats

Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein Induced Arthritis-A New Model for Rheumatoid Arthritis in the C57BL/6 Mouse

The most commonly used strains in experimental research, including genetically modified strains, are C57BL/6 mice. However, so far, no reliable model for rheumatoid arthritis is available, mainly due to the restriction by the MHC class II haplotype H-2b. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is the most widely used animal model of rheumatoid arthritis, but C57BL/6 strain is resistant to CIA because there is no collagen II peptide associated with H-2b. To establish a rheumatoid arthritis model in C57BL/6 mice, we immunized C57BL/6NJ (B6N) mice with human cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), which induced severe arthritis with high incidence, accompanied by a strong auto-antibody response. Native COMP was required, as denatured COMP lost its ability to induce arthritis in B6N mice. An immunodominant COMP peptide was identified as the key T cell epitope, with a perfect fit into the Ab class II peptide binding pocket. A critical amino acid in this peptide was found to be phenylalanine at position 95. Recombinant COMP mutated at position 95 (COMP_F95S) lost its ability to induce arthritis or a strong immune response in the B6N mice. In conclusion, A new model for RA has been established using C57BL/6 mice through immunization with COMP, which is dependent on a COMP specific peptide binding Ab, thus in similarity with CIA in Aq expressing strains.

C57BL/6 mice need MHC class II Aq to develop collagen-induced arthritis dependent on autoreactive T cells

INTRODUCTION

Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) has traditionally been performed in MHC class II A(q)-expressing mice, whereas most genetically modified mice are on the C57BL/6 background (expressing the b haplotype of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II region). However, C57BL/6 mice develop arthritis after immunisation with chicken-derived collagen type II (CII), but arthritis susceptibility has been variable, and the immune specificity has not been clarified.

OBJECTIVE

To establish a CIA model on the C57BL/6 background with a more predictable and defined immune response to CII.

RESULTS

Both chicken and rat CII were arthritogenic in C57BL/6 mice provided they were introduced with high doses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis adjuvant. However, contaminating pepsin was strongly immunogenic and was essential for arthritis development. H-2(b)-restricted T cell epitopes on chicken or rat CII could not be identified, but expression of A(q) on the C57BL/6 background induced T cell response to the CII260-270 epitope, and also prolonged the arthritis to be more chronic.

CONCLUSIONS

The putative (auto)antigen and its arthritogenic determinants in C57BL/6 mice remains undisclosed, questioning the value of the model for addressing T cell-driven pathological pathways in arthritis. To circumvent this impediment, we recommend MHC class II congenic C57BL/6N.Q mice, expressing A(q), with which T cell determinants have been thoroughly characterised.

A highly selective, orally active inhibitor of Janus kinase 2, CEP-33779, ablates disease in two mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis

INTRODUCTION

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is involved in the downstream activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and STAT5 and is responsible for transducing signals for several proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including interleukin (IL)-6, interferon γ (IFNγ) and IL-12. In this paper, we describe the efficacy profile of CEP-33779, a highly selective, orally active, small-molecule inhibitor of JAK2 evaluated in two mouse models of RA.

METHODS

Collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) and collagen type II (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) were established before the oral administration of a small-molecule JAK2 inhibitor, CEP-33779, twice daily at 10 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, 55 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg over a period of 4 to 8 weeks.

RESULTS

Pharmacodynamic inhibition of JAK2 reduced mean paw edema and clinical scores in both CIA and CAIA models of arthritis. Reduction in paw cytokines (IL-12, IFNγ and tumor necrosis factor α) and serum cytokines (IL-12 and IL-2) correlated with reduced spleen CII-specific T helper 1 cell frequencies as measured by ex vivo IFNγ enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. Both models demonstrated histological evidence of disease amelioration upon treatment (for example, reduced matrix erosion, subchondral osteolysis, pannus formation and synovial inflammation) and reduced paw phosphorylated STAT3 levels. No changes in body weight or serum anti-CII autoantibody titers were observed in either RA model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the utility of using a potent and highly selective, orally bioavailable JAK2 inhibitor for the treatment of RA. Using a selective inhibitor of JAK2 rather than pan-JAK inhibitors avoids the potential complication of immunosuppression while targeting critical signaling pathways involved in autoimmune disease progression.

Protocol for the induction of arthritis in C57BL/6 mice

Collagen-induced arthritis is a well-validated, but strain-dependent mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, with H-2(q) and H-2(r) strains showing the greatest degree of susceptibility. This protocol describes the induction of arthritis in the C57BL/6 strain (H-2(b)), which forms the genetic background of the majority of genetically modified strains. This protocol involves purification of type II collagen from chicken sternums, immunization of mice, clinical assessment of arthritis and analysis of T- and B-cell responses to type II collagen. Key aspects of the protocol are the need to use chicken collagen for immunization and the importance of avoiding aggressive behavior in males. The incidence of arthritis varies from 50 to 80% and is milder than the classical collagen-induced arthritis model. This procedure takes approximately 3 months to complete.

Collagen-induced arthritis in C57BL/6 mice is associated with a robust and sustained T-cell response to type II collagen

Many genetically modified mouse strains are now available on a C57BL/6 (H-2b) background, a strain that is relatively resistant to collagen-induced arthritis. To facilitate the molecular understanding of autoimmune arthritis, we characterised the induction of arthritis in C57BL/6 mice and then validated the disease as a relevant pre-clinical model for rheumatoid arthritis. C57BL/6 mice were immunised with type II collagen using different protocols, and arthritis incidence, severity, and response to commonly used anti-arthritic drugs were assessed and compared with DBA/1 mice. We confirmed that C57BL/6 mice are susceptible to arthritis induced by immunisation with chicken type II collagen and develop strong and sustained T-cell responses to type II collagen. Arthritis was milder in C57BL/6 mice than DBA/1 mice and more closely resembled rheumatoid arthritis in its response to therapeutic intervention. Our findings show that C57BL/6 mice are susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis, providing a valuable model for assessing the role of specific genes involved in the induction and/or maintenance of arthritis and for evaluating the efficacy of novel drugs, particularly those targeted at T cells.

Induction of experimental arthritis in BALB/c mice by inclusion of a foreign protein in the collagen inoculum

The susceptibility of mice to collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) has, among other things, been linked to the major histocompatibility complex class II genes as well as other genes. This study was designed to examine the possibilities to establish CIA in low susceptible I-Ad (Balb/C) mice. Balb/C mice were immunized twice with bovine type II collagen (BCII) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) containing the amount of Mycobacterium tuberculosis needed to induce CIA in low susceptible I-Ab (C57BL/6) mice. Some mice received the conceivable arthritogenic inoculum mixed with ovalbumin (OVA). Clinical arthritis was monitored. Antibody activity and T-cell reactivity to BCII were determined. Unexpectedly, only mice that were immunized with the BCII-OVA mixture developed arthritis. Combining BCII with another foreign protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, but not the self-protein mouse serum albumin, also triggered arthritis. Prior to the appearance of arthritis the serum levels of IgG autoantibodies to BCII were higher in the coimmunized mice than in the mice that were immunized with BCII alone. Yet, splenocytes stimulated in vitro with BCII did not proliferate or produce interferon-gamma. Immunization of Balb/c mice with an emulsion-containing CFA and BCII mixed with a foreign body, but not a self-protein, elevates the level of circulating autoantibodies to CII and subsequently induces arthritis.

Lack of Reactive Oxygen Species Breaks T Cell Tolerance to Collagen Type II and Allows Development of Arthritis in Mice

The view on reactive oxygen species (ROS) in inflammation is currently shifting from being considered damaging toward having a more complex role in regulating inflammatory reactions. We recently demonstrated a role of ROS in regulation of animal models for the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis. Low levels of ROS production, due to a mutation in the Ncf1 gene coding for the Ncf1 (alias p47(phox)) subunit of the NADPH oxidase complex, was shown to be associated with increased autoimmunity and arthritis severity in both rats and mice. To further investigate the role of ROS in autoimmunity, we studied transgenic mice expressing collagen type II (CII) with a mutation (D266E) in the immunodominant epitope that mimics the rat and human CII (i.e., mutated mouse collagen or MMC). This mutation results in a stronger binding of the epitope to the MHC class II molecule and leads to more pronounced tolerance and resistance to arthritis induced with rat CII. When the Ncf1 mutation was bred into these mice, tolerance was broken, resulting in enhanced T cell autoreactivity, high titers of anti-CII Abs, and development of severe arthritis. These findings highlight the importance of a sufficient ROS production in maintenance of tolerance to self-Ags, a central mechanism in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. This is important as we, for the first time, can follow the effect of ROS on molecular mechanisms where T cells are responsible for either protection or promotion of arthritis depending on the level of oxygen species produced.

Activation of invariant NK T cells protects against experimental rheumatoid arthritis by an IL-10-dependent pathway

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a unique lymphocyte subtype implicated in the regulation of autoimmunity and a good source of protective Th2 cytokines. Agonist alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) of iNKT cells exert a therapeutical effect in type 1 diabetes. We investigated whether iNKT activation with alpha-GalCer was protective in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in DBA/1 mice, a standard model of rheumatoid arthritis. Here, we have shown that in vivo iNKT cell function was altered in DBA/1 mice since stimulation with alpha-GalCer led to decreased IL-4 and IFN-gamma levels in sera, as compared with C57BL/6 mice. alpha-GalCer induced a clear-cut diminution of clinical and histological arthritides. An anti-IL-10 receptor antibody abrogated the protective effect of alpha-GalCer, suggesting a key role for IL-10 in the protection against CIA by activated iNKT cells. Confirming these data, disease protection conferred by alpha-GalCer correlated with the ability of LN CD4+ cells to secrete larger amounts of IL-10. These findings suggest that in CIA susceptibility to autoimmunity is associated with dysfunctions of iNKT cells. Our demonstration that iNKT cell activation by alpha-GalCer remains efficient in CIA-prone DBA/1 mice to provide protective IL-10 suggests that this could be used therapeutically to treat autoimmune arthritis.

A role for the lymphotoxin/LIGHT axis in the pathogenesis of murine collagen-induced arthritis

A lymphotoxin-beta (LTbeta) receptor-Ig fusion protein (LTbetaR-Ig) was used to evaluate the importance of the lymphotoxin/LIGHT axis in the development and perpetuation of arthritis. Prophylactic treatment with the inhibitor protein LTbetaR-Ig blocked the induction of collagen-induced arthritis in mice and adjuvant arthritis in Lewis rats. Treatment of mice with established collagen-induced arthritis reduced the severity of arthritic symptoms and joint tissue damage. However, in a passive model of anti-collagen Ab-triggered arthritis, joint inflammation was not affected by LTbetaR-Ig treatment precluding LT/LIGHT involvement in the very terminal immune complex/complement/FcR-mediated effector phase. Collagen-II and Mycobacterium-specific T cell responses were not impaired, yet there was evidence that the overall response to the mycobacterium was blunted. Serum titers of anti-collagen-II Abs were reduced especially during the late phase of disease. Treatment with LTbetaR-Ig ablated follicular dendritic cell networks in the draining lymph nodes, suggesting that impaired class switching and affinity maturation may have led to a decreased level of pathological autoantibodies. These data are consistent with a model in which the LT/LIGHT axis controls microenvironments in the draining lymph nodes. These environments are critical in shaping the adjuvant-driven initiating events that impact the subsequent quality of the anti-collagen response in the later phases. Consequently, blockade of the LT/LIGHT axis may represent a novel approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis that involve both T cell and Ab components.

Immunization of rats with homologous type XI collagen leads to chronic and relapsing arthritis with different genetics and joint pathology than arthritis induced with homologous type II collagen

The most commonly used animal model for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), induced by immunization with type II collagen (CII), a cartilage restricted protein. In this work we show that type XI collagen (CXI), which is a minor component in cartilage, induces a different form of erosive and chronic relapsing polyarthritis in rats. Using a series of inbred rat strains involving various genetic backgrounds (DA, LEW, E3), and congenic MHC regions (a, u, f, n, c, d), we found that CXI induced arthritis (C(XI)IA) is associated with the RT1f haplotype in contrast to CII induced arthritis (C(II)IA), which is associated with the RT1a and RT1u haplotypes. The C(XI)IA follows a chronic disease course affecting peripheral joints with both progression and relapses, which appear not to cease (occurring >800 days). Susceptible strains showed a sustained antibody response to CXI with time indicating that the autoimmune response was self-perpetuated. Microscopic analysis of the joints at different stages demonstrated the severe destruction of bone and cartilage by pannus tissue consisting of activated macrophages and T cells. The main difference to joints from rats with C(II)IA was larger numbers of infiltrating lymphocytes and these tended to form follicle-like aggregates. Surprisingly, males were more susceptible to C(XI)IA than females whereas the opposite has been observed in other rat arthritis models, including C(II)IA. Taken together, C(XI)IA is a chronic relapsing and erosive polyarthritis that is MHC associated, which in fact fulfills the criteria for diagnosis of RA. Thus the C(XI)IA model will be useful as a novel and relevant animal model for RA.

T cells that are naturally tolerant to cartilage-derived type II collagen are involved in the development of collagen-induced arthritis

The immunodominant T-cell epitope that is involved in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is the glycosylated type II collagen (CII) peptide 256-270. In CII transgenic mice, which express the immunodominant CII 256-270 epitope in cartilage, the CII-specific T cells are characterized by a partially tolerant state with low proliferative activity in vitro, but with maintained effector functions, such as IFN-gamma secretion and ability to provide B cell help. These mice were still susceptible to CIA. The response was mainly directed to the glycosylated form of the CII 256-270 peptide, rather than to the nonglycosylated peptide. Tolerance induction was rapid; transferred T cells encountered CII within a few days. CII immunization several weeks after thymectomy of the mice did not change their susceptibility to arthritis or the induction of partial T-cell tolerance, excluding a role for recent thymic emigrants. Thus, partially tolerant CII autoreactive T cells are maintained and are crucial for the development of CIA.

Interferon-gamma production in response to in vitro stimulation with collagen type II in rheumatoid arthritis is associated with HLA-DRB1(*)0401 and HLA-DQ8

INTRODUCTION

Despite much work over past decades, whether antigen-specific immune reactions occur in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to what extent such reactions are directed towards joint-specific autoantigens is still questionable. One strong indicator for antigenic involvement in RA is the fact that certain major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II genotypes [human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR4 and HLA-DR1[ predispose for the development of the disease [1]. In the present report, collagen type II (CII) was studied as a putative autoantigen on the basis of both clinical and experimental data that show an increased frequency of antibodies to CII in RA patients [2-4] and that show that CII can induce experimental arthritis [5]. It is evident from the literature that RA peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) respond poorly to antigenic stimulation [6-8], and in particular evidence for a partial tolerization to CII has been presented [9]. The strategy of the present work has accordingly been to reinvestigate T-cell reactivity to CII in RA patients, to relate it to the response to commonly used recall antigens and to analyze interferon (IFN)-gamma responses as an alternative to proliferative responses.

AIMS

To study cellular immune reactivity to CII in patients with RA and in healthy control individuals and to correlate this reactivity to HLA class II genotypes and to the presence of antibodies to CII in serum.

METHODS

Forty-five patients who met the 1987 American college of Rheumatology classification criteria for RA [10] and 25 healthy control individuals of similar age and sex were included. Twenty-six of these patients who had low levels of anti-CII in serum were randomly chosen, whereas 19 patients with high anti-CII levels were identified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-screening of 400 RA sera. Heparinized blood was density gradient separated and PBMCs were cultured at 1 x 10(6)/ml in RPMI-10% fetal calf serum with or without antigenic stimulation: native or denatured CII (100 microgram/ml), killed influenza virus (Vaxigrip, Pasteur Merieux, Lyon, France; diluted 1:1000) or purified protein derivative (PPD; 10 microgram/ml). CII was heat-denatured in 56 degrees C for 30 min. Cell supernatants were collected after 7 days and IFN-gamma contents were analyzed using ELISA. HLA-DR and HLA-DQ genotyping was performed utilizing a polymerase chain reaction-based technique with sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization. Nonparametric statistical analyses were utilized throughout the study.

RESULTS

PBMCs from both RA patients and healthy control individuals responded with IFN-gamma production to the same degree to stimulation with native and denatured CII (Fig. 1a), giving median stimulation indexes with native CII of 4.6 for RA patients and 5.4 for health control individuals, and with denatured CII of 2.9 for RA patients and 2.6 for healthy control individuals. RA patients with elevated levels of anti-CII had a weaker IFN-gamma response to both native and denatured CII that did healthy control individuals (P-).02 and 0.04, respectively). Stimulation with the standard recall antigens PPD and killed influenza virus yielded a median stimulation index with PPD of 10.0 for RA patients and 51.3 for healthy control individuals and with influenza of 12.3 for RA patients and 25.7 for healthy, control individuals. The RA patients displayed markedly lower responsiveness to both PPD and killed influenza virus than did healthy control individuals (Fig. 1b). IFN-gamma responses to all antigens were abrogated when coincubating with antibodies blocking MHC class II. The low response to PPD and killed influenza virus in RA patients relative to that of healthy control individuals reflects a general downregulation of antigen-induced responsiveness of T cells from RA patients [6-8]. That no difference between the RA group and the control group was recorded CII-induced IFN-gamma production therefore indicates that there may be an underlying increased responsiveness to CII in RA patients, which is obscured by the general downregulation of T-cell responsiveness in these patients. In order to address this possibility, we calculated the fraction between individual values for the CII-induced IFN-gamma production and the PPD-induced and killed influenza virus-induced IFN-gamma production and the PPD-induced and killed influenza virus-induced IFN-gamma production, and compared these fractions. A highly significant difference between the RA and health control groups was apparent after stimulation with both native CII and denatured CII when expressing the response as a fraction of that with PPD (Fig. 2a). Similar data were obtained using killed influenza virus-stimulated IFN-gamma values as the denominator (Fig. 2b).When comparing the compensated IFN-gamma response to denatured CII stimulation between RA patients with different HLA genotypes, highly significant differences were evident, with HLA-DRB1*0401 patients having greater CII responsiveness than patients who lacked this genotype (Fig. 3a). HLA-DQ8 positive patients also displayed a high responsiveness to CII as compared with HLA-DQ8 negative RA patients (Fig. 3b). These associations between the relative T-cell reactivity to denatured CII and HLA class II genotypes were not seen in healthy control individuals. Similar results were achieved using influenza as denominator (P = 0.02 for HLA-DRB1*0401 and P = 0.01 for HLA-DQ8).

DISCUSSION

No reports have previously systematically taken the general T-cell hyporesponsiveness in RA into account when investigating specific T-cell responses in this disease. In order to address this issue we used the T-cell responses to PPD and killed influenza virus as reference antigens. This was made on the assumption that exposure to these antigens is similar in age-matched and sex-matched groups of RA patients and healthy control individuals. The concept of a general hyporesponsiveness in RA T cells has been documented in several previous reports, in which both nominal antigens [6,7,8] and mitogens [11,12,13] have been used. The fact that a similar functional downregulation in RA PBMCs was obtained with both PPD and killed influenza virus as reference antigens strengthens the validity of our approach. We identified an association between the IFN-gamma response to CII and HLA-DRB1*0401 and HLA-DQ8 in the RA patient group, which is of obvious interest because both these MHC class II alleles have been associated with high responsiveness to CII in transgenic mice that express these human MHC class II molecules [14,15]. There was no association between high anti-CII levels and shared epitope (HLA-DRB1*0401 or HLA-DRB1*0404).

CONCLUSION

CII, a major autoantigen candidate in RA, can elicit an IFN-gamma response in vitro that is associated with HLA-DRB1*0401 and HLA-DQ8 in RA patients. This study, with a partly new methodological approach to a classical problem in RA, has provided some additional support to the notion that CII may be a target autoantigen of importance for a substantial group of RA patients. Continued efforts to identify mechanisms behind the general hyporesponsiveness to antigens in RA, as well as the mechanisms behind the potential partial anergy to CII, may provide us with better opportunities to study the specificity and pathophysiological relevance of anti-CII reactivity in RA.

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP)-induced arthritis in rats

In rheumatoid arthritis peripheral cartilaginous joints are inflamed and eroded. One driving factor may be an immune response towards proteins in the cartilage. Here it is shown that cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), expressed specifically in cartilage, is arthritogenic in the rat. Both native and denatured rat COMP induced severe arthritis in selected rat strains. The arthritis occurred only in peripheral joints which were attacked by an erosive inflammatory process similar to that seen in the human disease. The disease was self-limited and no permanent destruction of joints was seen macroscopically. Disease development appeared to be dependent on an immune response to autologous (rat) COMP and not on cross-reactivity to other cartilage rat collagens (types II, IX and XI). The disease and the immune response to COMP were genetically controlled by the MHC; the RT1u and RT1l haplotypes were more susceptible than the a, c, d, f and n haplotypes. Both LEW and E3 gene backgrounds were highly permissive for disease induction. These findings suggest that the induction of arthritis with rat COMP represents a unique pathogenesis which is controlled by different genes compared with collagen-induced arthritis or adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Systemic versus cartilage-specific expression of a type II collagen-specific T-cell epitope determines the level of tolerance and susceptibility to arthritis

Immunization of mice with rat type II collagen (CII), a cartilage-specific protein, leads to development of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), a model for rheumatoid arthritis. To define the interaction between the immune system and cartilage, we produced two sets of transgenic mice. In the first we point mutated the mouse CII gene to express an earlier defined T-cell epitope, CII-(256-270), present in rat CII. In the second we mutated the mouse type I collagen gene to express the same T-cell epitope. The mice with mutated type I collagen showed no T-cell reactivity to rat CII and were resistant to CIA. Thus, the CII-(256-270) epitope is immunodominant and critical for development of CIA. In contrast, the mice with mutated CII had an intact B-cell response and had T cells which could produce gamma interferon, but not proliferate, in response to CII. They developed CIA, albeit with a reduced incidence. Thus, we conclude that T cells recognize CII derived from endogenous cartilage and are partially tolerized but may still be capable of mediating CIA.

Induction of type II collagen arthritis in the DA rat using silicone gel as adjuvant

The Dark Agouti (DA) rat has been shown recently to have a high susceptibility for developing arthritis when challenged with either heterologous or homologous collagen II mixed with mineral oil, or with mineral oil challenge alone. This study determined the arthritogenic potential of silicone gel by either mixing it with bovine collagen II (BII) or by injecting silicone gel alone in DA rats. The incidence of collagen induced arthritis was as follows: PBS group- 0/10, silicone gel group- 4/10, and IFA group- 8/9. Anti-BII antibodies were formed in most of the rats treated with either silicone gel or IFA and these groups of rats showed a positive DTH reaction. The PBS treated rats were negative for both anti-BII antibodies and DTH reaction. The incidence of arthritis formation in rats injected with silicone gel alone was 0/10, while the IFA injected rats showed an incidence of 8/10. Silicone gel taken from a commercial breast implant thus is capable of mediating collagen induced arthritis in the DA rat. However, silicone gel alone does not appear to be arthritogenic.

Female preponderance for development of arthritis in rats is influenced by both sex chromosomes and sex steroids

Autoimmune arthritis was induced after a single injection of the non-immunogenic adjuvant (avridine) or with autologous rat type II collagen. Females of two different rat strains, DA and LEW, were found to be more susceptible than males. To investigate further the mechanisms behind the female preponderance, we selected the avridine induced arthritis model. This is known to be a chronic joint-specific disease which is T-cell dependent and associated with MHC genes and, therefore, is an appropriate model for rheumatoid arthritis. To address the possibility of sex chromosome involvement, reciprocal F1 hybrids were produced. Female (DAxLEW)F1 rats were found to be more prone to arthritis than their male counterparts. This difference could be explained, at least partly, by the influence of sex chromosomes since reciprocal (LEWxDA)F1 rats showed no sex linkage. However, the sex linkage was more pronounced in normal rats when compared to castrated (DAxLEW)F1 rats indicating a role for sex hormones in conjunction with the sex chromosome-linked effect. Both oestrogen and testosterone had a suppressive effect on the development of arthritis. The findings presented here suggest the presence of a sex chromosome gene, which mediates its function only in the presence of sex hormones and is associated with a female preponderance for development of arthritis.

Type XI and II collagen-induced arthritis in rats: characterization of inbred strains of rats for arthritis-susceptibility and immune-responsiveness to type XI and II collagen

To determine the relationship between susceptibility to bovine type XI and II (BXI and BII) collagen-induced arthritis, we immunized 14 inbred and one outbred strains of rats with BXI and BII. Susceptibility to BXI-arthritis corresponded largely with susceptibility, or resistance, to BII-arthritis. LEW, BB, WF, DA, and WKY were readily susceptible to BXI- and BII-arthritis. Likewise, BII-resistant F344 and BN rats were BXI-resistant. Some strains responded differently to BXI and BII. BUF and COP, which are moderately susceptible to BII, were BXI-resistant, whereas the BII-resistant rats, DA.1N and WF.1N, were partially susceptible to BXI. (F344 x BN) F1 hybrids responded to both collagens suggesting gene complementation. Arthritis occurred in all strains producing the highest titer antisera (LEW, WF and BB). Antibody responses to BXI and BII were generally commensurate within individual strains. DA were susceptible to arthritis but produced low levels of antibody comparable to BN rats which were arthritis-resistant. BXI and BII-susceptibility was variable in rats producing intermediate antibody responses. Antibodies to RXI were detected in all BXI-immunized rats, whereas antibodies to RV and RII were uniformly weaker. DTH to RXI and RII was strong in both groups of rats, correlating poorly with arthritis and antibody responses. These studies show that phenotypic susceptibility to BXI- and BII-arthritis are largely concordant among inbred rat strains but clear differences exist in certain strains; multiple genes are likely involved.