CD4+ T cells recognizing a single self-peptide expressed by APCs induce spontaneous autoimmune arthritis.
We have examined processes leading to the spontaneous development of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis in transgenic mice containing CD4+ T cells targeted to a nominal Ag (hemagglutinin (HA)) and coexpressing HA driven by a MHC class II promoter. Despite being subjected to multiple tolerance mechanisms, autoreactive CD4+ T cells accumulate in the periphery of these mice and promote systemic proinflammatory cytokine production. The majority of mice spontaneously develop inflammatory arthritis, which is accompanied by an enhanced regional immune response in lymph nodes draining major joints. Arthritis development is accompanied by systemic B cell activation; however, neither B cells nor Ab is required for arthritis development, since disease develops in a B cell-deficient background. Moreover, arthritis also develops in a recombinase activating gene-deficient background, indicating that the disease process is driven by CD4+ T cells recognizing the neo-self HA Ag. These findings show that autoreactive CD4+ T cells recognizing a single self-Ag, expressed by systemically distributed APCs, can induce arthritis via a mechanism that is independent of their ability to provide help for autoantibody production.
Rankin
Andrew L
AL
The Wistar Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Reed
Amy J
AJ
Oh
Soyoung
S
Cozzo Picca
Cristina
C
Guay
Heath M
HM
Larkin
Joseph
J
Panarey
Laura
L
Aitken
Malinda K
MK
Koeberlein
Brigitte
B
Lipsky
Peter E
PE
Tomaszewski
John E
JE
Naji
Ali
A
Caton
Andrew J
AJ
D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001168:Arthritis / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
D001324:Autoantigens; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D010455:Peptides