Londei M, Savill C M, Verhoef A, Brennan F, Leech Z A, Duance V, Maini R N, Feldmann M
Charing Cross Sunley Research Centre, Hammersmith, London, England.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Jan;86(2):636-40. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.2.636.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by T-cell infiltration of the synovium of joints. Analysis of the phenotype and antigen specificity of the infiltrating cells may thus provide insight into the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. T cells were cloned with interleukin 2, a procedure that selects for in vivo-activated cells. All clones had the CD4 CDW29 phenotype. Their antigen specificity was tested by using a panel of candidate joint autoantigens. Four of 17 reacted against autologous blood mononuclear cells. Two clones proliferated in response to collagen type II. After 21 months, another set of clones was derived from synovial tissue of the same joint. One of eight clones tested showed a strong proliferative response against collagen type II. The uncloned synovial T cells of a third operation from another joint also responded to collagen type II. The persistence of collagen type II-specific T cells in active rheumatoid joints over a period of 3 years suggests that collagen type II could be one of the autoantigens involved in perpetuating the inflammatory process in rheumatoid arthritis.
类风湿性关节炎是一种自身免疫性疾病，其特征是关节滑膜出现T细胞浸润。因此，分析浸润细胞的表型和抗原特异性可能有助于深入了解类风湿性关节炎的发病机制。用白细胞介素2克隆T细胞，这一过程会选择体内激活的细胞。所有克隆均具有CD4 CDW29表型。通过使用一组候选关节自身抗原测试它们的抗原特异性。17个克隆中有4个对自体血单核细胞产生反应。两个克隆对II型胶原产生增殖反应。21个月后，另一组克隆来自同一关节的滑膜组织。测试的8个克隆中有1个对II型胶原表现出强烈的增殖反应。来自另一个关节的第三次手术的未克隆滑膜T细胞也对II型胶原产生反应。活跃的类风湿关节中II型胶原特异性T细胞持续存在3年，这表明II型胶原可能是参与类风湿性关节炎炎症过程持续存在的自身抗原之一。
