Skip to main content
PMC home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1986 Jul;58(3):501–506.

Molecular mimicry in Reiter's syndrome: cytotoxicity and ELISA studies of HLA-microbial relationships.

R D Inman, B Chiu, M E Johnston, J Falk
PMCID: PMC1453470  PMID: 3488263

Abstract

The pathogenic links between HLA antigens, certain bacterial infections and arthritis have not yet been characterized. The hypothesis of cross-reactivity between HLA B27, the marker of disease susceptibility for these disorders, and the provocative microorganism has been suggested by studies of Klebsiella and ankylosing spondylitis. The present study examines the possibility of molecular mimicry between HLA B27 and two organisms implicated more directly in reactive arthritis, Yersinia enterocolitica and Chlamydia trachomatis. Antibodies against these organisms were obtained both from patients and from antisera raised in rabbits. Neither source of antibacterial antibody was specifically cytotoxic for HLA B27-positive lymphocytes, even when the target cells were derived from patients with recent infections due to these organisms. In addition, monoclonal antibodies against HLA B27 (M1 and M2) showed no reactivity with antigens from these organisms in an ELISA system. These data do not support the notion of molecular mimicry as being the basis of immunogenetic susceptibility to reactive arthritis and Reiter's syndrome following infections with Y. enterocolitica and C. trachomatis.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Avakian H., Welsh J., Ebringer A., Entwistle C. C. Ankylosing spondylitis, HLA-B27 and Klebsiella. II. Cross-reactivity studies with human tissue typing sera. Br J Exp Pathol. 1980 Feb;61(1):92–96. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beaulieu A. D., Rousseau F., Israël-Assayag E., Roy R. Klebsiella related antigens in ankylosing spondylitis. J Rheumatol. 1983 Feb;10(1):102–105. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Brenner M. B., Kobayashi S., Wiesenhutter C. W., Huberman A. K., Bales P., Yu D. T. In vitro T lymphocyte proliferative response to Yersinia enterocolitica in Reiter's syndrome. Lack of response in other HLA-B27 positive individuals. Arthritis Rheum. 1984 Mar;27(3):250–257. doi: 10.1002/art.1780270302. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cameron F. H., Russell P. J., Sullivan J., Geczy A. F. Is a Klebsiella plasmid involved in the aetiology of Ankylosing Spondylitis in HLA-B27-positive individuals? Mol Immunol. 1983 May;20(5):563–566. doi: 10.1016/0161-5890(83)90095-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Ebringer R., Cooke D., Cawdell D. R., Cowling P., Ebringer A. Ankylosing spondylitis: klebsiella and HL-A B27. Rheumatol Rehabil. 1977 Aug;16(3):190–196. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/16.3.190. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Geczy A. F., Alexander K., Bashir H. V., Edmonds J. A factor(s) in Klebsiella culture filtrates specifically modifies an HLA-B27 associated cell-surface component. Nature. 1980 Feb 21;283(5749):782–784. doi: 10.1038/283782a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Granfors K., Viljanen M., Tiilikainen A., Toivanen A. Persistence of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies to Yersinia in yersinia arthritis. J Infect Dis. 1980 Apr;141(4):424–429. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.4.424. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Grumet F. C., Fendly B. M., Engleman E. G. Monoclonal anti-HLA-B27 antibody (B27M1): production and lack of detectable typing difference between patients with ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, and normal controls. Lancet. 1981 Jul 25;2(8239):174–176. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)90358-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Grumet F. C., Fendly B. M., Fish L., Foung S., Engleman E. G. Monoclonal antibody (B27M2) subdividing HLA-B27. Hum Immunol. 1982 Aug;5(1):61–72. doi: 10.1016/0198-8859(82)90031-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Keat A. C., Thomas B. J., Taylor-Robinson D., Pegrum G. D., Maini R. N., Scott J. T. Evidence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in sexually acquired reactive arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1980 Oct;39(5):431–437. doi: 10.1136/ard.39.5.431. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Keat A. Reiter's syndrome and reactive arthritis in perspective. N Engl J Med. 1983 Dec 29;309(26):1606–1615. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198312293092604. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kono D. H., Ogasawara M., Effros R. B., Park M. S., Waldord R. L., Yu D. T. Ye-1, a monoclonal antibody that cross-reacts with HLA-B27 lymphoblastoid cell lines and an arthritis causing bacteria. Clin Exp Immunol. 1985 Sep;61(3):503–508. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lane D. P., Hoeffler W. K. SV40 large T shares an antigenic determinant with a cellular protein of molecular weight 68,000. Nature. 1980 Nov 13;288(5787):167–170. doi: 10.1038/288167a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Levy N. J., Muñoz A., McCormack W. M. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of antibody to Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia psittaci. J Lab Clin Med. 1983 Dec;102(6):918–925. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Martin D. H., Pollock S., Kuo C. C., Wang S. P., Brunham R. C., Holmes K. K. Chlamydia trachomatis infections in men with Reiter's syndrome. Ann Intern Med. 1984 Feb;100(2):207–213. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-100-2-207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Prendergast J. K., McGuigan L. E., Geczy A. F., Kwong T. S., Edmonds J. P. Persistence of HLA-B27 cross-reactive bacteria in bowel flora of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Infect Immun. 1984 Dec;46(3):686–689. doi: 10.1128/iai.46.3.686-689.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Robinson S., Panayi G. S., Marsal L., Wollheim F. A. The attachment of certain gram negative bacteria to buccal epithelial cells from patients with Yersinia arthritis. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1983 Jul-Sep;1(3):207–210. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Shinebaum R., Neumann V., Hopkins R., Cooke E. M., Wright V. Attempt to modify klebsiella carriage in ankylosing spondylitic patients by diet: correlation of klebsiella carriage with disease activity. Ann Rheum Dis. 1984 Apr;43(2):196–199. doi: 10.1136/ard.43.2.196. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Towbin H., Staehelin T., Gordon J. Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: procedure and some applications. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Sep;76(9):4350–4354. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.9.4350. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Vuento R., Leino R., Viander M., Toivanen A. In vitro lymphoproliferative response to Yersinia: depressed response in arthritic patients years after Yersinia infection. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1983 Jul-Sep;1(3):219–224. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Warren R. E., Brewerton D. A. Faecal carriage of klebsiella by patients with ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 1980 Feb;39(1):37–44. doi: 10.1136/ard.39.1.37. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Zabriskie J. B., Freimer E. H. An immunological relationship between the group. A streptococcus and mammalian muscle. J Exp Med. 1966 Oct 1;124(4):661–678. doi: 10.1084/jem.124.4.661. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. van Bohemen C. G., Grumet F. C., Zanen H. C. Identification of HLA-B27M1 and -M2 cross-reactive antigens in Klebsiella, Shigella and Yersinia. Immunology. 1984 Aug;52(4):607–610. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES