title: Autoreactivity in collagen-induced arthritis of rats: a potential role for T cell responses to self MHC peptides.
abstract: Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is a chronic inflammatory arthropathy of rats which follows immunization with bovine type II collagen (bCII). T cell lines generated from arthritic rats have been shown to be self-reactive and proliferate in an autologous MLR, which is MHC-dependent. However, the peptides which drive this autoreactive response remain to be elucidated. T cell lines, generated initially to bCII, were cultured with synthetic peptides representing potential autoreactive self epitopes. C1q-c(50-64) peptide, which demonstrates sequence homology to the bCII(184-198) peptide, failed to stimulate T cell proliferation suggesting that the autologous MLR was not due to antigen cross-reactivity with this self peptide. In contrast, several peptides from the amino-terminal region of the RT1D(u) MHC class II molecule stimulated proliferative responses. These results suggest that immunization with bCII leads to activation of a population of autoreactive T cells which respond in an autologous MLR, and that this response could be due, in part, to T cell reactivity to self MHC peptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK. bcatchpo@rvc.ac.uk
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Catchpole
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Anne S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Hamblin
authors.forename: Norman A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Staines
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D002417:Cattle; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000276:immunology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018716:Molecular Mimicry / Q000276:immunology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D024043:Collagen Type II