Role of interleukin 1 in antigen-induced exacerbations of murine arthritis.

The mechanism underlying the chronic and intermittent course of rheumatoid arthritis is not elucidated. In the present study, the role of interleukin 1 (IL-1) was investigated in exacerbations of antigen-induced arthritis in mice. A flare-up of smoldering inflammation (weeks 3 to 4 of antigen-induced arthritis) was inducible by injection of a small amount of methylated bovine serum albumin into the hypersensitive knee joint. Immunohistochemistry showed IL-1 expression in the synovial lining layer and in focal areas of the inflamed synovium during the flare-up. IL-1 was also measured in 1-hour culture supernatant of synovial tissue taken during the flare-up by a bioassay. The expression of both immunoreactive and bioactive IL-1 in the hypersensitive joint peaked around 6 hours after antigen (2 micrograms of methylated bovine serum albumin) injection and declined thereafter. Antigen rechallenge induced an acute joint swelling of the arthritic joint but not in the naive joint of the sensitized mouse, yet synovia of both joints produced IL-1 after antigen injection. Remarkably, a single intravenous injection of rabbit anti-IL-1 alpha and -beta antibodies 1 hour before antigen rechallenge neutralized IL-1 in the joint. Anti-IL-1 treatment significantly reduced the antigen-induced joint swelling (30 to 40%) but did not affect the profound influx of polymorphonuclear cells in the onset of the exacerbation. However, a profound relief of the inflammation (synovitis) was obtained by IL-1 blockade on day 4 of the exacerbation. Chondrocyte proteoglycan synthesis was markedly suppressed in the antigen-challenged naive knee joints suggesting that this was a direct IL-1 effect as the inflammation was insignificant. Anti-IL-1 treatment was able to maintain chondrocyte proteoglycan synthesis in the antigen-rechallenged joint, which was highly suppressed in the control group. Furthermore, the enhanced proteoglycan breakdown in the antigen-rechallenged joints was significantly decreased in the anti-IL-1 group. We concluded that IL-1 is an important mediator in exacerbations of murine arthritis, and amelioration of cartilage pathology was obtained with anti-IL-1 antibody treatment.     

Adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes to T-cell-depleted mice inhibits Escherichia coli translocation from the gastrointestinal tract.

Bacterial translocation is defined as the passage of viable bacteria from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to extraintestinal sites, such as the mesenteric lymph node (MLN), spleen, liver, kidneys, and blood. Previously, we reported that depletion of CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells promotes bacterial translocation from the GI tract to the MLN. In the present study, CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells, harvested from donor mice, were adoptively transferred to mice previously depleted of T cells by thymectomy plus intraperitoneal injection of rat anti-mouse T-cell monoclonal antibodies. The adoptively transferred CD4+ and/or CD8+ T cells inhibited the translocation of Escherichia coli from the GI tract. Migration of the adoptively transferred T cells to the spleens and MLNs of the recipient mice was determined by utilizing Thy 1.1+ donor cells adoptively transferred into mice whose cells express the Thy 1.2 marker. These results provide further evidence of the importance of T cells in the host immune defense against bacterial translocation from the GI tract.     

Clinical significance of immunopathological findings in patients with post-pericardiotomy syndrome. II. The significance of serum inhibition and rosette inhibitory factors.

Serum inhibition factors (SIF) that suppress phytohaemagglutinin-induced blast transformation of normal lymphocytes, and lymphocyte E-rosette inhibitory factors (RIF) that inhibit the T cell-specific property of E-rosette formation were determined in sixty-five patients before and after cardiac surgery. SIF was found in the first post-operative week in almost all patients; patients with complete post-pericardiotomy syndrome (PPS) still had these factors in the fourth postoperative week. The appearance of SIF correlated well with the intensity of the PPS. Persistence of SIF in eleven out of eighteen patients with clinically incomplete PPS reaffirms the probability that they had an 'immunologically' positive PPS. RIF was to be found in one third of the patients with complete or incomplete PPS and may be of prognostic value. The two factors were not identical.     

Amelioration of established murine collagen-induced arthritis with anti-IL-1 treatment.

Inflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. To validate a key role for IL-1 in arthritic processes we have studied the protective effect of neutralizing antimurine IL-1 antibodies in the murine collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. Combination of anti-IL-1 alpha and anti-IL-1 beta given before onset of arthritis was shown to prevent disease completely. Remarkably, a single treatment was also highly effective in the established phase of arthritis, reducing both inflammation as well as cartilage destruction. Suppression was most pronounced with the combination, but anti-IL-1 beta alone also induced significant relief. Finally, we studied the protective effect of IL-1 neutralization on cartilage metabolism in a unilateral expression model of collagen arthritis. To this end zymosan was injected in one knee joint before onset of disease, resulting in accelerated expression in that particular joint and the draining paw. Anti-IL-1 treatment started after accelerated expression of arthritis was able to fully normalize chondrocyte synthetic function, which was highly suppressed in the control group. It is concluded that IL-1 is an important determinant in both inflammation and cartilage destruction in collagen arthritis, and this may have implications for therapy in human arthritis.     

Delineation of an estimated 6.7 MB candidate interval for an anophthalmia gene at 3q26.33-q28 and description of the syndrome associated with visible chromosome deletions of this region

Anophthalmia or microphthalmia occur in approximately one in 10 children who have severe visual impairment. These eye malformations are often of unknown aetiology, but can be inherited in autosomal dominant, recessive or X-linked forms, and can also occur in association with specific chromosome abnormalities. Four children are described in the medical literature with microphthalmia or anophthalmia in association with chromosome rearrangements involving distal 3q, suggesting the presence of a micro/anophthalmia gene in this region. We have identified two further patients with micro/anophthalmia and chromosome rearrangements involving 3q26-->3q27 and identified a 6.7 MB common deleted region. Patient 1 had multiple abnormalities including bilateral anophthalmia, abnormalities of the first and second cranial nerves and partial absence of the corpus callosum. His karyotype was 46,XY,del(3)(q26.33q28). Patient 2 had right anophthalmia and left extreme microphthalmia. Her karyotype was 46,XX,del(3)(q26.33q28)t(3;7)(q28;q21.1). Both patients had intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and strikingly similar dysmorphic facies consisting of bossed forehead, downward-slanting palpebral fissures, grooved bridge of the nose, prominent low-set ears, small down-turned mouth and small mandible. We identified BAC clones mapping to distal 3q from the ENSEMBL and NCBI Entrez databases. These BAC clones were used as fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) probes to identify the minimum deleted region common to both patients. This interval, between clones RPC11-134F2 and RPC11-132N15, was estimated to be 6.7 MB. We conclude that there is an anophthalmia locus within this interval. Candidate genes mapping to this region include Chordin and DVL3, a homologue of the Drosophila Dishevelled gene.     

STXBP1: the second synaptic vesicle release gene involved in epilepsy

De novo mutations in the gene encoding STXBP1 (MUNC18‐1) cause early infantile epileptic encephalopathy
Saitsu et al. (2008)
Nature Genetics 40: 782–788