Toggle Main Menu Toggle Search

Open Access padlockePrints

Response of Th17 Cells to a Citrullinated Arthritogenic Aggrecan Peptide in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Alexei von Delwig, James Locke, Professor John Robinson, Professor Fai NgORCiD

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.


Abstract

Objective. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered to be a prototypical autoimmune disease. However, the autoantigens that play an important role in the development of RA remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether T cells specific for citrullinated epitopes from self proteins are present in patients with RA. Methods. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 28 RA patients and 18 healthy controls were stimulated with citrullinated or noncitrullinated aggrecan peptide Agg(84-103), and proliferative and cytokine responses were assessed using H-3-thymidine incorporation assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and intracellular cytokine analysis. Results. A proliferative response to the citrullinated aggrecan peptide was detected in >60% of RA patients but not in healthy controls. Furthermore, citrullinated aggrecan peptide-stimulated PBMCs from RA patients produced high levels of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-17 (IL-17), accompanied by an induction of IL-17+CD4+ T cells. In contrast, PBMCs from RA patients and healthy controls exhibited no response to stimulation with the noncitrullinated aggrecan peptide. Conclusion. Proinflammatory T cell responses to stimulation with a citrullinated arthritogenic aggrecan peptide were detected in RA patients but not in healthy individuals, suggesting a role for these autoantigen-specific T cells in the pathogenesis of RA. Our results suggest that the lack of response to the noncitrullinated analog peptide not only implicates the citrulline residue in T cell recognition but also highlights the potential value of citrullinated aggrecan peptide-specific responses as biomarkers of RA. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the presence of citrullinated antigen-specific T cells in human RA.


Publication metadata

Author(s): von Delwig A, Locke J, Robinson JH, Ng WF

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Arthritis & Rheumatism

Year: 2010

Volume: 62

Issue: 1

Pages: 143-149

Print publication date: 01/01/2010

ISSN (print): 0004-3591

ISSN (electronic): 1529-0131

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/art.25064

DOI: 10.1002/art.25064


Altmetrics

Altmetrics provided by Altmetric


Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
14912Arthritis Research Campaign
17864Arthritis Research Campaign

Share