The role of fibronectin in the pathogenesis of antigen-induced arthritis in the rabbit.
Fibronectin (FN), a high molecular weight glycoprotein, is present in plasma and is a normal structural component of the synovium in the rabbit, as it is in man. FN is also involved in the sequence of changes seen in synovium in experimental antigen-induced arthritis. Its widespread distribution in inflamed synovia in the initial acute phase of induced arthritis probably merely reflects the presence of FN of plasma origin in serous exudates. In established experimental arthritis, FN co-distributes with fibrin, while in synovia undergoing organisation, FN is present intracellularly in several types of mesenchymal cells (suggesting local synthesis) and is deposited on immature collagen fibrils. However, it is no longer present when mature collagen is formed. The persistence of FN, along with fibrin, in inflamed joints, and its involvement in fibrosis, suggest that it may play a significant part in determining the chronicity of this form of experimental arthritis.
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens; D001168:Arthritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000032:analysis; D013585:Synovitis / Q000378:metabolism
D000941:Antigens; D005353:Fibronectins; D010047:Ovalbumin