title: Searching for the cartilage-associated mimicry epitope in adjuvant arthritis.
abstract: Adjuvant arthritis (AA) is a T cell mediated disease which can be induced in genetically susceptible rats by immunization with heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) suspended in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. The critical mycobacterial T cell epitope for the induction of AA was previously identified as residues 178-186 of the mycobacterial 65 kDa heat shock protein (Mt. hsp65(178-186)). It was suggested that the development of AA was due to molecular mimicry between a mycobacterial epitope and a cartilage-associated self-antigen. However, until now such cartilage-associated mimicry epitope has not been identified. In this study we designed a computer search profile to predict mimicry self-epitopes, and investigated whether one or more of these self-epitopes could serve as mimicry epitopes in AA. Although several of these self-epitopes were recognized by arthritogenic T cells, no cross-reactivity was found between T cells specific for these self-epitopes and Mt. hsp65(178-186) specific T cells.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jolanda H M
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Van Bilsen
authors.forename: Josée P A
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wagenaar-Hilbers
authors.forename: Elmieke P J
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Boot
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van Eden
authors.forename: Marca H M
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wauben
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000276:immunology*; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018833:Chaperonins / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C074119:heat-shock protein 65, Mycobacterium; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3; D018833:Chaperonins