SUCCESSFUL INDUCTION OF SEVERE DESTRUCTIVE ARTHRITIS BY THE TRANSFER OF IN-VITRO ACTIVATED SYNOVIAL-FLUID T-CELLS FROM PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS (RA) IN SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENT (SCID) MICE

In order to investigate the role of pathogenic T cells in RA, the esta blishment of an RA model using patients' T cells is thought to be esse ntial. In this study, multiple and severe destructive arthritis was es tablished by transferring in vitro-stimulated synovial fluid T (SFT) c ells from patients with RA through simultaneous injection into knee jo int and peritoneal cavity of SCID mice without causing xenogeneic graf t-ver sus-host disease (GVHD). Neither the transfer of unstimulated SF T cells nor sole i.p. injection was sufficient to induce severe arthri tis. Interestingly, in contrast with SFT cells, in vitro-activated per ipheral blood lymphocytes from RA patients failed to trigger such arth ritis, suggesting that pathogenic T cells might be concentrated in syn ovial fluid of RA patients. This, the first severe arthritis model mim icking RA induced by RA patients' T cells, is expected to provide impo rtant information about RA pathogenesis and a possible therapeutic app roach.