Naive transgenic T cells expressing cartilage proteoglycan-specific TCR induce arthritis upon in vivo activation

Proteoglycan (PG)-induced arthritis (PGIA), a murine model for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is driven by antigen (PG)-specific T and B cell activation. In order to analyze the pathogenic role of antigen-specific T cells in the development of autoimmune arthritis, we have generated a transgenic (Tg) mouse. The CD4+ T cells of this TCR-5/4E8-Tg line express a functional T cell receptor (TCR) composed of the Vα1.1 and Vβ4 chains with specificity for the dominant arthritogenic T cell epitope of human cartilage PG. Adoptive transfer of naive TCR-5/4E8-Tg cells induced arthritis with severe clinical symptoms in syngeneic immunodeficient BALB/c.RAG2−/− mice. In vivo activation of TCR-5/4E8-Tg CD4+Vβ4+ cells with cartilage PG seemed to be critical for arthritis induction. Arthritis never developed after transfer of naive wild-type cells. The arthritis was characterized as a chronic progressive disease with intermittent spontaneous exacerbations and remissions. Inflamed joints showed extensive cartilage damage and bone erosions leading to massive ankylosis in peripheral joints. These PG epitope-specific TCR-5/4E8-Tg mice can be valuable research tools for studying antigen-driven T cell regulation in arthritis, and migration of T cells to the joints. In addition the model may be used for the development of immune modulating strategies in T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases.