Induced expression of class II transplantation antigens in the cartilage-pannus junction in RA: chronic synovitis as a model system for aberrant T-lymphocyte activation.

Abstract

An induced expression of class II transplantation antigens is seen on synovial cells in human arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as well as in some experimental animal models for arthritis, i.e. in collagen arthritis in mice and rats and in adjuvant arthritis in rats. In this paper, additional original data are presented concerning the expression of HLA-DR, DP, and DQ antigens on macrophage-like and fibroblast-like cells within the cartilage-pannus junction in RA. The functional implications of this induced synovial class II antigen expression is discussed against the background of both in vitro experiments on human synovial cells and in vivo experiments in the animal arthritis models.