title: Responses to gram negative enteric bacterial antigens by synovial T cells from patients with juvenile chronic arthritis: recognition of heat shock protein HSP60.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the antigenic specificity of synovial T cells in juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Synovial fluid and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 24 patients with JCA were tested for their proliferative responses to recall antigens, enteric organisms associated with reactive arthritis, influenza A and a recombinant preparation of a mycobacterial heat shock protein, HSP65. To investigate further recognition of this last antigen, synovial T cells from one B27+ patient with pauciarticular disease were cloned using HSP65. The specificity of the resultant clones was then examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Marked synovial T cell responses to enteric organisms and to HSP65 were noted, particularly in HLA-B27+, pauciarticular patients; these were similar to those seen in a B27+ patient with reactive arthritis. Responses to enteric organisms and to HSP65 were significantly correlated, suggesting recognition of an epitope common to these antigen preparations. However, all of the T cell clones obtained using HSP65 proved to recognize E. coli derived antigens contaminating the recombinant HSP65 rather than the mycobacterial antigen; these contaminants included the 60 kDa E. coli HSP, GroEL. The GroEL specific T cells did not respond to heat shocked human cells; this suggests (but does not prove) that they do not crossreact with human HSP60.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Synovial T cell recognition of antigens from enteric organisms associated with reactive arthritis is a common feature in pauciarticular JCA. Among the target antigens is the GroEL HSP, but T cells recognizing this antigen do not necessarily crossreact with the homologous human HSP60.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Birmingham University, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Life
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassell
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bacon
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Southwood
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gaston
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018833:Chaperonins; D002648:Child; D004340:Drug Contamination; D000939:Epitopes; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000276:immunology*; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013582:Synovial Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D000939:Epitopes; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C074119:heat-shock protein 65, Mycobacterium; D018833:Chaperonins