title: Immune response to gut Escherichia coli and susceptibility to adjuvant arthritis in the rats.
abstract: We have investigated the humoral immune response to antigens of predominant gut aerobic bacterial strains (i.e. Escherichia coli) over the course of adjuvant arthritis and oil-induced arthritis in two inbred rat strains: Dark Agouti (DA) and Albino Oxford (AO). We report the presence of antibodies specific to proteins of E. coli in molecular weight range between 20-30 kDa in sera of diseased DA rats, and the absence of these antibodies in the sera of AO rats. In DA rats, CFA and IFA provoked a stronger antibody response to E. coli, especially of the IgG2b antibody class. Intramuscular administration of E. coli preceding the adjuvant arthritis induction had no effect on the development and course of disease, as well as on the activation of T cells in the draining inguinal lymph nodes. Higher serum levels of natural and induced IgA antibodies, combined with a higher CD3+CD26+ cell percentage were found in AO rats. The observed correlation between the serologic response to commensal flora and rats' genetic background as a defining factor for arthritis susceptibility may contribute to the process of creating a favorable (or less favorable) milieu for arthritis development.
authors.affiliation: Vaccines and Sera "Torlak" Immunology Research Center, Institute of Virology Belgrade Serbia.
authors.forename: Vesna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kovačević-Jovanović
authors.affiliation: Vaccines and Sera "Torlak" Immunology Research Center, Institute of Virology Belgrade Serbia.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miletić
authors.affiliation: Vaccines and Sera "Torlak" Immunology Research Center, Institute of Virology Belgrade Serbia.
authors.forename: Stanislava
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stanojević
authors.affiliation: Vaccines and Sera "Torlak" Immunology Research Center, Institute of Virology Belgrade Serbia.
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mitić
authors.affiliation: Vaccines and Sera "Torlak" Immunology Research Center, Institute of Virology Belgrade Serbia.
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dimitrijević
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology*; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G
keywords: E. coli; adjuvant arthritis; commensal bacteria; humoral immune response; rat strains