Yersinia enterocolitica activates a T helper type 1-like T cell subset in reactive arthritis.
The profile of lymphokines secreted by 14 T cell clones and 24 T cell lines reactive with Yersinia Ag isolated from the synovial fluid cells of two HLA-B27+ patients with Yersinia-triggered reactive arthritis was characterized. In response to Ag-specific or -nonspecific stimulation, all of the Yersinia-reactive T cell clones and lines had a pattern of lymphokine secretion resembling that of murine (Th1) cells. A total of 50% of T cell lines and clones randomly isolated from a reactive arthritis patient, without prior in vitro stimulation with Yersinia Ag, also exhibited a Th1-like profile of cytokine secretion upon nonspecific activation. This indicates that the selective expansion of this subset of T cells had already occurred in vivo. The possibility that the predominance of Th1-like T cells was an artefact generated by the T cell cloning procedure was excluded; 50% of the randomly isolated T cell clones and lines produced IL-4, IL-5, or both cytokines upon nonspecific activation. These results indicate that Yersinia Ag selectively activate a Th1-like subset of T cells in patients with Yersinia-triggered reactive arthritis. Accumulation of such cells in the synovial tissue of patients with reactive arthritis may play a key role in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Lahesmaa
R
R
Department of Neurological Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, CA 94305.
Yssel
H
H
Batsford
S
S
Luukkainen
R
R
Möttönen
T
T
Steinman
L
L
Peltz
G
G
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D016918:Arthritis, Reactive / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000276:immunology*
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D008222:Lymphokines