H. Kohsaka et al., INFLUENCE OF THE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-ASSOCIATED SHARED EPITOPE ON T-CELL RECEPTOR REPERTOIRE FORMATION, Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians, 108(4), 1996, pp. 323-328
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with several human leukocyte antige
n DRB1 types that express a common five-amino acid sequence called the
shared epitope. Here we show that the human leukocyte antigen DRB1 sh
ared epitope expands naive T lymphocytes that express the same T-cell-
receptor variable region-joining region combinations that are prevalen
t in the synovia of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Thus, the shared ep
itope could affect rheumatoid arthritis disease susceptibility by sele
cting in the premorbid state specific T-cell subsets that contribute t
o synovial inflammation.