| 1. |
- Boeiers, Ulrika, et al.
(author)
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Collagen type II is recognized by a pathogenic antibody through germline encoded structures
- 2008
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In: European Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 1521-4141 .- 0014-2980. ; 38:10, s. 2784-2795
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Collagen type II (CII) is a cartilage-specific target of pathologic humoral autoimmune responses in rheumatoid arthritis as well as in the collagen-induced arthritis model. The aim of the present study is to investigate the critical amino acid residues conferring CII epitope specificity of the prototypic arthritogenic murine mAb CIIC1. A homology model of the CIIC1 single-chain antibody fragment (CIIC1scFv) in complex with its triple helical epitope was established. in silico predictions based on extensive molecular dynamics simulations were experimentally tested by the recombinant expression and functional analysis of CIIC1scFv containing alanine replacements allowing the identification of crucial CII-binding sites in the CDR2 and CDR3 regions of both heavy and light chains. Since the conversion of the CIIC1scFv sequence into the respective germline at all 13 somatically mutated positions did not affect its CII binding, our data indicate that potentially harmful cartilage-specific humoral autoimmunity could be germline encoded. The molecular modeling further demonstrates that the rigid collagen triple helix restricts the likelihood of molecular interactions with the CDR regions of the antibody considerably compared with globular antigens. These sterical constraints provide an explanation as to why somatic mutations in the arthritogenic autoantibody have no obvious impact on CII recognition.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Merky, Patrick, et al.
(author)
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Visualization and phenotyping of proinflammatory antigen-specific T cells during collagen-induced arthritis in a mouse with a fixed collagen type II-specific transgenic T-cell receptor beta-chain
- 2010
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In: Arthritis Research and Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6362 .- 1478-6354. ; 12:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: The V beta 12-transgenic mouse was previously generated to investigate the role of antigen-specific T cells in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model for rheumatoid arthritis. This mouse expresses a transgenic collagen type II (CII)-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) beta-chain and consequently displays an increased immunity to CII and increased susceptibility to CIA. However, while the transgenic V beta 12 chain recombines with endogenous alpha-chains, the frequency and distribution of CII-specific T cells in the V beta 12-transgenic mouse has not been determined. The aim of the present report was to establish a system enabling identification of CII-specific T cells in the V beta 12-transgenic mouse in order to determine to what extent the transgenic expression of the CII-specific beta-chain would skew the response towards the immunodominant galactosylated T-cell epitope and to use this system to monitor these cells throughout development of CIA. Methods: We have generated and thoroughly characterized a clonotypic antibody, which recognizes a TCR specific for the galactosylated CII(260-270) peptide in the V beta 12-transgenic mouse. Hereby, CII-specific T cells could be quantified and followed throughout development of CIA, and their phenotype was determined by combinatorial analysis with the early activation marker CD154 (CD40L) and production of cytokines. Results: The V beta 12-transgenic mouse expresses several related but distinct T-cell clones specific for the galactosylated CII peptide. The clonotypic antibody could specifically recognize the majority (80%) of these. Clonotypic T cells occurred at low levels in the naive mouse, but rapidly expanded to around 4% of the CD4(+) T cells, whereupon the frequency declined with developing disease. Analysis of the cytokine profile revealed an early Th1-biased response in the draining lymph nodes that would shift to also include Th17 around the onset of arthritis. Data showed that Th1 and Th17 constitute a minority among the CII-specific population, however, indicating that additional subpopulations of antigen-specific T cells regulate the development of CIA. Conclusions: The established system enables the detection and detailed phenotyping of T cells specific for the galactosylated CII peptide and constitutes a powerful tool for analysis of the importance of these cells and their effector functions throughout the different phases of arthritis.
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| 4. |
- Sehnert, Bettina, et al.
(author)
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Modulation of granulocyte-endothelium interactions by antileukoproteinase: inhibition of anti-type II collagen antibody-induced leukocyte attachment to the synovial endothelium
- 2006
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In: Arthritis Research and Therapy. - London : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1478-6362 .- 1478-6354. ; 8:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Antileukoproteinase (ALP) is a physiological inhibitor of granulocytic serine proteases that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties in addition to its antiproteolytic activity. On the basis of its potential to block anti-collagen type II (CII) antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) and to suppress the conformational activation of beta(2)-integrins in leukocytes, the present study was undertaken to investigate its interference with leukocyte adherence to cytokine-activated endothelium. The potential of recombinant ALP to block the interactions of leukocytes with the endothelial lining was concomitantly investigated in vitro and in vivo. Thus, intravital fluorescence microscopic imaging of leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion to postcapillary venules were performed in the knee joints of DBA1/J mice after intravenous injection of anti-CII mAbs. An IL-1 beta-activated endothelial layer formed by a murine glomerular cell line (glEND.2) was used to assay the interaction with human leukocytes in vitro. Electromobility shift and luciferase reporter gene assays permitted the analysis of cytokine-induced activation of the NF-kappa B pathway. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting was applied to determine endothelial E-selectin expression. Leukocyte rolling and firm adhesion to the synovial endothelium in an early response to the anti-CII antibody transfer were significantly decreased in ALP-pretreated mice. Concomitantly, ALP suppressed the IL-1 beta-induced NF-kappa B activation and the upregulation of E-selectin expression in glEND.2 cells in vitro. These findings support the notion that the newly uncovered properties of ALP to interfere with cytokine signalling and upregulation of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells are likely to contribute to the therapeutic potential of ALP in immune-complex-induced tissue injury.
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| 5. |
- Uysal, Hüseyin, et al.
(author)
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Structure and pathogenicity of antibodies specific for citrullinated collagen type II in experimental arthritis
- 2009
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In: Journal of Experimental Medicine. - New York, NY : Rockefeller University Press. - 0022-1007 .- 1540-9538. ; 206:2, s. 449-462
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Antibodies to citrulline-modified proteins have a high diagnostic value in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, their biological role in disease development is still unclear. To obtain insight into this question, a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies was generated against a major triple helical collagen type II (CII) epitope (position 359-369; ARGLTGRPGDA) with or without arginines modified by citrullination. These antibodies bind cartilage and synovial tissue, and mediate arthritis in mice. Detection of citrullinated CII from RA patients' synovial fluid demonstrates that cartilage-derived CII is indeed citrullinated in vivo. The structure determination of a Fab fragment of one of these antibodies in complex with a citrullinated peptide showed a surprising beta-turn conformation of the peptide and provided information on citrulline recognition. Based on these findings, we propose that autoimmunity to CII, leading to the production of antibodies specific for both native and citrullinated CII, is an important pathogenic factor in the development of RA.
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| 6. |
- Uysal, Hüseyin, et al.
(author)
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The crystal structure of the pathogenic collagen type II-specific mouse monoclonal antibody CIIC1 Fab : Structure to function analysis
- 2008
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In: Molecular Immunology. - Oxford : Elsevier. - 0161-5890 .- 1872-9142. ; 45:8, s. 2196-2204
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Monoclonal anti-collagen type II antibody CIIC1 is an arthritogenic autoantibody, which induces arthritis in mice. We crystallized and solved the structure of CIIC1 Fab molecule. Analysis of structure revealed an interaction between the CDR regions of one Fab to the CH1 domain of another Fab, which resembles an antibody-antigen interaction. ELISA experiments confirmed the cross-reactivity of both the full CIIC1 antibody and a single chain Fv fragment to other anti-collagen antibodies which are of different isotypes and epitope specificity. The rheumatoid factor like reactivity of CIIC1 antibody together with its collagen type II specificity may explain the pathogenicity of this antibody. © 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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