Type II collagen is a target antigen of clonally expanded T cells in the synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether type II collagen (CII) is recognised by oligoclonally expanded synovial T cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 15 RA patients were stimulated with CII in vitro. T cell clones expanded by such stimulation were compared with the clonally expanded synovial T cells by using T cell receptor (TCR) B chain gene specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and subsequent single strand conformation polymorphism analyses.


RESULTS
Stimulation of the heterogeneous peripheral T cells with CII induced clonal expansion of T cells. In three of 15 patients, a proportion of these clones (approximately 17% to 25%) was found to be identical to expanded T cell clones in the synovium in vivo.


CONCLUSIONS
T cell clones that had TCR CDR3 sequences identical to those induced by purified CII were found in a proportion of RA patients. This finding suggests that CII is recognised by T cells that accumulate clonally in RA joints. Oligoclonal T cell expansion in RA joints is probably driven, at least in part, by intra-articular components such as CII.
Sekine
T
T
Rheumatology, Immunology and Genetics Program, Institute of Medical Science, St Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
Kato
T
T
Masuko-Hongo
K
K
Nakamura
H
H
Yoshino
S
S
Nishioka
K
K
Yamamoto
K
K
D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D019674:Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D017260:Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D017260:Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell; D003094:Collagen