title: Susceptibility and resistance to experimental adjuvant arthritis.
abstract: Autoimmunity is the result of an abnormal immune response against constituents of body tissues. For many years, the study of animal models of human diseases was aimed at defining the factors participating in the autoimmune process. During the past two decades, much of the attention was diverted to another intriguing aspect of animal models: the mechanisms rendering some animal strains autoimmune-susceptible and others resistant. In this report, we focus on one experimental model, adjuvant arthritis (AA) which is inducible in the Lewis rat following stimulation of the immune system by heat-killed mycobacterium and its 65kDa heat shock protein. We describe genetic loci regulating the severity of this disease as well as the contribution of microbial flora and endocrine activity to susceptibility and resistance. In our opinion, a better understanding of the processes underlying susceptibility and resistance to AA is an important step towards the development of new therapeutic approaches to autoimmunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Alon Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Hershko
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ulmansky
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moallem
authors.forename: Yaakov
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naparstek
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000235:genetics*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000473:pathology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D016753:Interleukin-10; C060293:HSPD1 protein, human; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins