title: Collagen-induced arthritis in C57BL/6 mice is associated with a robust and sustained T-cell response to type II collagen.
abstract: Many genetically modified mouse strains are now available on a C57BL/6 (H-2b) background, a strain that is relatively resistant to collagen-induced arthritis. To facilitate the molecular understanding of autoimmune arthritis, we characterised the induction of arthritis in C57BL/6 mice and then validated the disease as a relevant pre-clinical model for rheumatoid arthritis. C57BL/6 mice were immunised with type II collagen using different protocols, and arthritis incidence, severity, and response to commonly used anti-arthritic drugs were assessed and compared with DBA/1 mice. We confirmed that C57BL/6 mice are susceptible to arthritis induced by immunisation with chicken type II collagen and develop strong and sustained T-cell responses to type II collagen. Arthritis was milder in C57BL/6 mice than DBA/1 mice and more closely resembled rheumatoid arthritis in its response to therapeutic intervention. Our findings show that C57BL/6 mice are susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis, providing a valuable model for assessing the role of specific genes involved in the induction and/or maintenance of arthritis and for evaluating the efficacy of novel drugs, particularly those targeted at T cells.
authors.affiliation: Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Imperial College London, 1 Aspenlea Road, London W6 8LH, UK.
authors.forename: Julia J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Inglis
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Criado
authors.forename: Mino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medghalchi
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sandison
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feldmann
authors.forename: Richard O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D013045:Species Specificity; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D024043:Collagen Type II