MHC restriction of synovial fluid lymphocyte responses to the triggering organism in reactive arthritis. Absence of a class I-restricted response.

Synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMC) from patients with reactive arthritis (ReA) show marked proliferative responses to preparations of the organism triggering the arthritis. Initial studies with MHC-specific MoAbs have indicated that a significant element of these proliferative responses is mediated by class II MHC-restricted CD4+ T cells. It is imperative to establish the presence or absence of a class I-restricted response, for two reasons. Firstly, the association of ReA with the MHC class I molecule, HLA B27, raises the possibility of there being a B27-restricted response to the triggering organism. Secondly, a number of the organisms associated with ReA are intracellular pathogens, whose antigens might be expected to be presented by class I MHC molecules. In an effort to identify a class I MHC-restricted pathogen-specific response in the SFMC of ReA patients, we have assessed the proliferative responses of SFMC depleted of CD4+ T cells. Responses were grossly diminished by CD4+ T cell depletion. We also investigated Chlamydia-specific cytotoxicity in the SFMC of patients with sexually acquired ReA in a system using productive chlamydial infection to produce both targets and effectors. Significant antigen specific cytotoxicity was not seen. These experiments do not provide evidence to support the existence of pathogen-specific responses by CD8+, class I-restricted synovial fluid T cells in ReA.