Bone marrow cells carrying the env-pX transgene play a role in the severity but not prolongation of arthritis in human T-cell leukaemia virus type-I transgenic rats: a possible role of articular tissues carrying the transgene in the prolongation of arthritis.

Transgenic rats carrying the env-pX gene of human T-cell leukaemia virus type-I (env-pX rats) were immunized with type II collagen (CII), and chronological alterations of arthritis were compared with findings of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in wildtype Wistar-King-Aptekman-Hokudai (WKAH) rats. Arthritis induced by CII in env-pX rats was more severe and persisted longer than CIA in WKAH rats. To determine whether the phenomenon is caused mainly by the transgene-carrying lymphocytes or articular tissues, we immunized lethally irradiated env-pX and WKAH rats with reciprocal bone marrow cell (BMC) transplantation. A severe but transient arthritis was induced by CII in WKAH rats reconstituted by env-pX BMC (w/tB/CII rats). On the other hand, in env-pX rats reconstituted by WKAH BMC, arthritis persisted longer than in w/tB/CII rats, although the degree was less at an early phase after CII immunization. These findings suggest that articular tissues rather than the BMCs carrying the env-pX transgene play a role in the prolongation of arthritis in env-pX rats, although BMCs carrying the transgene are associated with the severity of arthritis. When inflammatory cytokines in synovial cells isolated from env-pX rats before they developed arthritis were examined, interleukin-6 (IL-6) was detected at a higher level than in synovial cells from WKAH rats, thus suggesting the critical role of IL-6 in env-pX arthritis.