HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN-PEPTIDES REACTIVE IN PATIENTS WITH BEHCETS-DISEASEARE UVEITOGENIC IN LEWIS RATS

Mycobacterial and homologous human heat shock protein T cell peptide e pitopes specific for T lymphocytes in Behcet's disease were investigat ed for their pathogenicity in Lewis rats. The potential pathogenicity of eight peptides and two controls was assessed by administering the p eptides in enriched Freund's adjuvant into the footpads of male Lewis rats. Anterior uveitis which is a major manifestation of Behcet's dise ase was induced with two out of the four mycobacterial and all four ho mologous human peptides. The most effective peptides inducing iridocyc litis in 64-75% of rats were peptides with amino acids 336-351 and 136 -150, derived from the sequence of the human 60-kD heat shock protein. A few of the rats also showed evidence of focal loss of photoreceptor s. These results suggest that selected peptides within heat shock prot ein 60 kD which function as T cell epitopes in Behcet's disease are ca pable of inducing uveitis in rats. This supports the view that the pep tide T cell determinants may be involved in the pathogenesis of Behcet 's disease.