EVIDENCE FOR PREFERENTIAL T-CELL RECEPTOR V-BETA GENE USAGE AND T-CELL CLONAL EXPANSION IN THE SYNOVIUM OF BB RATS WITH EARLY-ONSET COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS

Type II collagen(1) (CII) is a potent arthritogen in the BB rat. To de termine whether a restricted group of T cells is involved in the patho genesis of collagen-induced arthritis, lymphocytes from synovium, peri pheral blood, and lymph nodes of arthritic rats were studied for T cel l receptor (TCR) V beta gene usage using polymerase chain reaction (PC R), Oligoclonal TCR V beta usage was found only in synovium recovered day 2 post-arthritis onset, but not day 7; lymph node and peripheral b lood T cells showed diverse TCR usage at both times. To determine whet her T cell local clonal expansion occurred in synovium at day 2 of art hritis, cDNA for four TCR beta families was sequenced through VDJ regi ons. Strong selective expansion of TCR V beta 8.2, 4, and 17 was noted . Importantly, the dominant clonotype of V beta 8.2 was identical to t hat of a lymph node-derived T hybridoma specific for the immunodominan t epitope in CII(181-210), Cells from synovium (day 2 postonset) analy zed by flow cytometry also showed V beta 8.2(+) cell enrichment, These observations, plus finding that T cells from inflamed synovium respon d to CII(181-201) in vitro, suggest the local recruitment and clonal e xpansion of some T cells families, possibly driven by autologous CII r eleased during cartilage degradation. (C) 1998 Academic Press.