Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1972 Jan 31;135(2):323–338. doi: 10.1084/jem.135.2.323

THE PATHOGENESIS OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION IN EXPERIMENTAL ANTIGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS

II. PREFERENTIAL LOCALIZATION OF ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY COMPLEXES TO COLLAGENOUS TISSUES

T Derek Cooke 1, Eric R Hurd 1, Morris Ziff 1, Hugo E Jasin 1
PMCID: PMC2180529  PMID: 4551217

Abstract

In an experimental arthritis induced by injection of bovine serum albumin or egg albumin into the joints of previously immunized animals, it has been demonstrated that the major portion of the radioactively labeled antigens injected was localized to avascular collagenous tissues in the joint, i.e., articular cartilage, menisci, and intra-articular ligaments. The antigens were partially eluted from the tissues with 5 M guanidine solution, but not with acid buffers or by 3 M magnesium chloride. The radioactive material eluted with guanidine was at least 80% precipitable by specific antisera. The radioactively labeled-inducing antigen was identified on the surface of articular collagenous tissues from arthritic joints by radioautography and immunofluorescence. Rabbit immunoglobulin and C3 were demonstrated in the same sites by immunofluorescence. The presence of specific antibody in collagenous tissues was demonstrated by the selective in vitro binding of 125I-labeled-inducing antigen to menisci from arthritic joints of immunized animals. The evidence obtained indicates that in this model of chronic arthritis, the inducing antigen persists for long periods of time in the form of immune complexes in the surface layers of the intra-articular collagenous tissue. The antigen retained in this form may be responsible for the chronicity of the synovitis by serving as a direct stimulus for the maintenance of prolonged antibody synthesis in the synovium and by providing a source of complement-fixing antigen-antibody complexes for the mediation of joint inflammation.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (1.0 MB).

Selected References

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

  1. Bokisch V. A., Müller-Eberhard H. J., Cochrane C. G. Isolation of a fragment (C3a) of the third component of human complement containing anaphylatoxin and chemotactic activity and description of an anaphylatoxin inactivator of human serum. J Exp Med. 1969 May 1;129(5):1109–1130. doi: 10.1084/jem.129.5.1109. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Currey H. L., Moore C. J., Prentice A. D. Surgical synovectomy and experimental immune synovitis in the rabbit knee joint. Ann Rheum Dis. 1970 Sep;29(5):503–508. doi: 10.1136/ard.29.5.503. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. DUMONDE D. C., GLYNN L. E. The production of arthritis in rabbits by an immunological reaction to fibrin. Br J Exp Pathol. 1962 Aug;43:373–383. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fehr K., LoSpalluto J., Ziff M. Degradation of immunoglobulin G by lysosomal acid proteases. J Immunol. 1970 Oct;105(4):973–983. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. HAN S. S. The ultrastructure of the mesenteric lymph node of the rat. Am J Anat. 1961 Sep;109:183–225. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001090208. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Koffler D., Paronetto F. Immunofluorescent localization of immunoglobulins, complement, and fibrinogen in human diseases. II. Acute, subacute, and chronic glomerulonephritis. J Clin Invest. 1965 Oct;44(10):1665–1671. doi: 10.1172/JCI105273. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. LoSpalluto J. J., Fehr K., Ziff M. Degradation of immunoglobulins by intracellular proteases in the range of neutral pH. J Immunol. 1970 Oct;105(4):886–897. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. MARDINEY M. R., Jr, MUELLER-EBERHARD H. J. MOUSE BETA-1C-GLOBULIN: PRODUCTION OF ANTISERUM AND CHARACTERIZATION IN THE COMPLEMENT REACTION. J Immunol. 1965 Jun;94:877–882. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Michael A. F., Jr, Drummond K. N., Good R. A., Vernier R. L. Acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis: immune deposit disease. J Clin Invest. 1966 Feb;45(2):237–248. doi: 10.1172/JCI105336. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Nossal G. J., Abbot A., Mitchell J., Lummus Z. Antigens in immunity. XV. Ultrastructural features of antigen capture in primary and secondary lymphoid follicles. J Exp Med. 1968 Feb 1;127(2):277–290. doi: 10.1084/jem.127.2.277. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Sery T. W., Nagy R. M. Corneal hypersensitivity. II. Specific binding of antigen in sensitized corneas. J Immunol. 1971 Jan;106(1):226–232. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sordat B., Sordat M., Hess M. W., Stoner R. D., Cottier H. Specific antibody within lymphoid germinal center cells of mice after primary immunization with horseradish peroxidase: a light and electron microscopic study. J Exp Med. 1970 Jan 1;131(1):77–91. doi: 10.1084/jem.131.1.77. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tan E. M., Kunkel H. G. An immunofluorescent study of the skin lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Rheum. 1966 Feb;9(1):37–46. doi: 10.1002/art.1780090105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. VAZQUEZ J. J., DIXON F. J. Immunohistochemical study of lesions in rheumatic fever, systemic lupus ervthematosus, and rheumatoid arthritis. Lab Invest. 1957 May-Jun;6(3):205–217. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Ward P. A., Cochrane C. G., Muller-Eberhard H. J. Further studies on the chemotactic factor of complement and its formation in vivo. Immunology. 1966 Aug;11(2):141–153. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ward P. A., Zvaifler N. J. Complement-derived leukotactic factors in inflammatory synovial fluids of humans. J Clin Invest. 1971 Mar;50(3):606–616. doi: 10.1172/JCI106531. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Webb F. W., Ford P. M., Glynn L. E. Persistence of antigen in rabbit synovial membrane. Br J Exp Pathol. 1971 Feb;52(1):31–35. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Zvaifler N. J. Breakdown products of C 3 in human synovial fluids. J Clin Invest. 1969 Aug;48(8):1532–1542. doi: 10.1172/JCI106119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES