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The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 164: 4340-4347.
Copyright © 2000 by The American Association of Immunologists

A Role for Complement in Antibody-Mediated Inflammation: C5-Deficient DBA/1 Mice Are Resistant to Collagen-Induced Arthritis

Yi Wang1,*, Jane Kristan*, Liming Hao{dagger}, Catherine S. Lenkoski*, Yamin Shen* and Louis A. Matis1,*

* Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., New Haven, CT 06511; and {dagger} Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) represents an animal model of autoimmune polyarthritis with significant similarities to human rheumatoid arthritis that can be induced upon immunization with native type II collagen. As in rheumatoid arthritis, both cellular and humoral immune mechanisms contribute to disease pathogenesis. Genotypic studies have identified at least six genetic loci contributing to arthritis susceptibility, including the class II MHC. We have examined the mechanism of Ab-mediated inflammation in CIA joints, specifically the role of complement activation, by deriving a line of mice from the highly CIA-susceptible DBA/1LacJ strain that are congenic for deficiency of the C5 complement component. We show that such C5-deficient DBA/1LacJ animals mount normal cellular and humoral immune responses to native type II collagen, with the activation of collagen-specific TNF-{alpha}-producing T cells in the periphery and substantial intra-articular deposition of complement-fixing IgG Abs. Nevertheless, these C5-deficient mice are highly resistant to the induction of CIA. These data provide evidence for an important role of complement in Ab-triggered inflammation and in the pathogenesis of autoimmune arthritis.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)2 represents an autoimmune polyarthritis inducible in susceptible strains of rodents and primates after immunization with native type II collagen (1, 2). CIA displays immunologic and histopathologic similarities to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and is often used as a model for this common human autoimmune disease. Similar to RA, susceptibility to CIA is linked to the expression of certain class II MHC alleles (3, 4). Both CIA and RA are characterized by manifestations of cellular as well as humoral autoimmunity, which may act in concert to mediate disease progression (1, 2, 5, 6). Joint inflammation in CIA is marked by inflammatory synovitis, pannus formation, and cartilage and bone erosion, characteristics which are quite analogous to the histopathologic lesions of RA joints (7, 8).

In CIA, both T and B cell responses play a role in disease pathogenesis after immunization with type II collagen. The role of T cells in CIA has been illustrated by the resistance to disease induction of various mouse strains with germline deletions of TCR genes (9) as well as by the ability of anti-T cell reagents such as anti-CD4 mAbs to block disease onset (10, 11). However, T cells appear to play their predominant role in the initiation of disease because anti-CD4 mAb treatment has only marginal effects on the progression of established arthritis (12, 13).

Several lines of evidence demonstrate that B cells are also critical for the development of CIA. For instance, B cell-deficient mice on an otherwise genetically susceptible background do not develop arthritis (14). Further, transfer studies have shown that autoantibodies are directly pathogenic and can provoke at least some of the manifestations of joint inflammation (15, 16).

Abs, particularly as constituents of Ab/Ag immune complexes, play a central role in triggering inflammation in a number of autoimmune diseases (17). It has been proposed that immune complexes initiate inflammatory responses either via activation of the complement system (18) or, alternatively, by the direct engagement and activation of FcR-bearing inflammatory cells (19). Although the concept of immune complex-triggered inflammation via activation of the complement cascade is well established, recent studies in FcR-deficient mutant mice have promoted an opposing view that immune complexes induce inflammation predominantly through FcR engagement, with complement proteins subserving primarily immunoregulatory functions (19).

Studies to evaluate the role of complement in CIA, in particular the proinflammatory byproducts generated by activation of the C5 component, have led to conflicting conclusions, ranging from an essential role to virtually no role of C5 in disease progression (20, 21, 22, 23). Most of these studies have utilized F2 backcross analyses between CIA-susceptible and -resistant mouse strains to examine the contribution of various genetic loci to arthritis pathogenesis. As such studies have provided evidence for at least five to six disease-predisposing loci influencing severity and susceptibility to CIA (20, 21, 22, 23, 24), the conflicting conclusions regarding the role of complement in CIA pathogenesis may have reflected variable expression of distinct CIA susceptibility loci in individual F2 progeny.

To examine the role of C5 in arthritis pathogenesis on a constant genetic background strongly associated with CIA susceptibility, we have generated inbred DBA/1LacJ mice congenic for a mutant C5 allele. After collagen immunization, these C5-deficient animals were almost totally resistant to the development of CIA, despite generating unimpaired collagen-specific T cell and Ab responses. The results provide clear evidence that complement activation can play a major role in initiating immune complex-triggered inflammation and joint destruction.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Mice

Generation of C5-deficient DBA/1 mice (C5D-DBA/1) was accomplished as follows. C5D B10.D2/oSn mice (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME) were crossed with DBA/1LacJ mice (The Jackson Laboratory). F1 and subsequent offspring heterozygous for the mutant C5 allele were backcrossed to DBA/1LacJ for six generations and then intercrossed to produce homozygous C5D-DBA/1 and C5-sufficient DBA/1 (C5S-DBA/1) lines. The C5 genotype was determined by PCR performed on tail DNA using a pair of primers (5'-CAC GAT AAT GGG AGT CAT CTG CG-3' and 5'- AAG TTG GAG TGT GGT CTT TGG GCC-3') that amplify a 280-bp DNA fragment from both wild-type and C5 mutant DNA. This fragment encodes a HindIII site that is selectively destroyed by the mutation in the C5 gene, such that HindIII (New England BioLabs, Beverly, MA) digestion (37°C overnight before resolution on a 3% agarose gel (FMC BioProducts, Rockland, ME)) selectively cleaves the wild type but not the C5 mutant PCR product into 150- and 130-bp fragments. Wild-type DBA/1LacJ mice were purchased from The Jackson Laboratory. Because the C5S-DBA/1 mice demonstrated a 100% incidence of CIA after type II collagen (CII) challenge (see below), these animals were used interchangeably with wild-type DBA/1LacJ mice in some experiments.

Induction and clinical evaluation of CIA

Bovine type II collagen (BCII) or mouse type II collagen (MCII) (Elastin Products, Owensville, MO) was dissolved in 0.01 M acetic acid by stirring overnight at 4°C at a concentration of 4 mg/ml. CFA was prepared by the addition of desiccated Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37RA (Difco, Detroit, MI) to IFA (Difco) at a concentration of 2 mg/ml. The solution of CII (4 mg/ml) was emulsified in an equal volume of CFA, and mice were immunized with 200 µg CII and 100 µg mycobacteria injected intradermally at the base of the tail in a volume of 100 µl. After 21 days, all mice were reimmunized using the identical protocol with either heterologous BCII or autologous MCII. Animals were examined daily beginning on the day of reimmunization for the appearance of arthritis. The presence of arthritis was determined by examining, measuring, and scoring each of the forepaws and hindpaws. The severity of arthritis in each affected paw was graded according to an established scoring system as: 0, normal joint; 1, mild/moderate visible erythema and swelling; 2, severe erythema and swelling affecting an entire paw or joint; and 3, deformed paw or joint with ankylosis. The sum of the scores for all four paws in each mouse was used as an arthritis index (maximum score/animal = 12) to represent overall disease severity and progression in an animal. Mice were sacrificed 6 wk after the initial immunization, at which time the joints were prepared for histologic evaluation.

T cell stimulation assays

Lymph node cells taken from animals 7–10 days after reimmunization with BCII were analyzed for specific T cell responses to BCII or MCII. T cells (5 x 105/well) were incubated with 20 µg/ml of BCII, MCII, OVA, or BSA in flat-bottom 96-well plates. The culture medium was HL-1 (BioWhittaker, Walkersville, MD) supplemented with 10% medium 199 (Cellgro Mediatech, Herndon, VA), 5 x 10-5 M 2-ME, 10 mM HEPES buffer, 1% L-glutamine, 1% sodium pyruvate, and 1% penstrep. The cultures were incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 for 5–6 days. Eighteen hours before harvesting, 1 µCi of [3H]thymidine was added to each well. Results are expressed as stimulation index, which was calculated as the fold increase in the cpm of T cells cultured with BCII, MCII, or OVA relative to cpm of T cells cultured with medium alone.

Analysis of BCII-induced production of TNF-{alpha}

Lymph node cells prepared from animals 12 days after reimmunization with BCII were analyzed for BCII-specific TNF-{alpha} production. Cells (6–8 x 106/well) were incubated with 20 µg/ml of BCII or OVA in individual wells of a 24-well plate. The cultures were incubated overnight at 37°C. Five hours before harvesting the cells, 1 µg/ml of brefeldin A (GolgiPlug; PharMingen, San Diego, CA) was added to each well. Cells were washed with staining buffer (HBSS with 5% FCS and 0.02% sodium azide) and incubated with FITC-conjugated rat anti-mouse CD4 (clone RM4-5) and anti-mouse CD8 (clone 57.62) (PharMingen) before fixation and permeabilization with 4% paraformaldehyde and 1% saponin (Cytofix/Cytoperm Kit; PharMingen). After washing two times with saponin solution, cells were incubated with PE-labeled anti-TNF-{alpha} mAb (clone MP6-XT22; PharMingen) or with a PE-labeled control rat IgG1 Ab (clone R3-34; PharMingen) at 4°C for 30 min. Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry on a FACScan flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA) with logarithmic scales. CellQuest software (Becton Dickinson) was used for the analysis of the data. Analyses of the percentage of TNF-{alpha}-producing cells were performed on lymphoid populations gated by forward and side scatter.

Quantification of anti-BCII Abs

Mice were bled 35 days after initial immunization with BCII. Standard ELISA assays were preformed to measure the serum levels, specificity, and subtype of anti-CII Abs. Briefly, 96-well flat-bottom ELISA plates (VWR, Philadelphia, PA) were coated with BCII or MCII (Elastin Products) at 8 µg/ml in TBS at 37°C for 1 h and were then blocked with BSA before incubation with the serum samples (1:20 dilution) obtained from C5S- or C5D-DBA/1 mice. The plates were washed and then incubated with HRP-coupled Abs to mouse IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, or IgG3 obtained from a murine Ig isotype subtyping kit (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim Germany). Anti-CII Ab titer was reported as the increase in the number of O.D. units of CII-specific Ab measured in the immunized C5S- or C5D-DBA/1 mice compared with those measured in unimmunized control DBA/1LacJ mice.

Histopathology

Mice from each group were sacrificed, and their limbs were fixed in 10% buffered formalin and decalcified in diluted rapid bone decalcification (Darlco, Oradell, NJ) solution for 1–3 days. The tissue was then processed and embedded in paraffin with a VIP tissue processor (Miles, Elkhart, IN). Five-micrometer tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) using standard methodology. To detect intra-articular IgG and complement deposition, the limbs were decalcified in a 0.1 M Tris solution containing 10% EDTA and 7.5% polyvinyl pyrrolidone for 14 days and frozen in OCT at -80°C. Five-micrometer sections were then prepared and stained with FITC-labeled goat anti-mouse IgG, IgM, IgA (H+L) Ab (Zymed, San Francisco, CA) or with FITC-conjugated sheep anti-mouse C3 (Biodesign, Kennebunk, ME) at a dilution of 1 to 50. FITC-conjugated goat anti-human IgG {lambda}-chain Ab (Sigma, St. Louis, MO) and FITC-conjugated goat anti-human C3 (Cappel, West Chester, PA) were used as negative controls on samples from the CII-immunized animals.

Arthus reactions

Direct Arthus reactions were performed on C5D- and C5S-DBA/1 mice 45 days after initial BCII immunization. The mice were shaved and injected intradermally with 200 µg BCII in 50 µl PBS or with 200 µg BSA in 50 µl PBS. Intradermal injections of BCII or BSA were also performed in animals that had not been previously immunized with CII. After 24 h, animals were sacrificed. Skin biopsies were taken through the perimeter of the lesions; the areas of the macroscopic skin lesions as indicated by hemorrhagic responses from the inside of the skin were determined by multiplying the maximal transverse widths (in mm) in two perpendicular directions. Skin samples were either fixed in 10% buffered formalin for histological examination as previously described (25) or processed for myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (26).

Hemolytic assay

After initial screening with PCR and analysis of serum C5-mediated hemolytic activity from each C5S and C5D littermate, animals were then grouped randomly and immunized with BCII. Serum samples were again harvested from representative C5D- and C5S-DBA/1 mice 35 days after initial immunization with BCII and were reassayed for hemolytic activity. Sera were prepared, and the serum hemolytic activity was measured as previously reported (25).

Statistical analysis

Student’s t tests assuming two samples with unequal variance were performed with the Microsoft Excel 97 data analysis program. The two-tail p value is represented. Contingency table analysis was performed with Statview statistical analysis program (Brain Power, Calabasas, CA).


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Generation of C5D-DBA/1 mice

To examine the role of complement activation in the pathogenesis of joint inflammation on a highly susceptible genetic background, DBA/1LacJ mice were bred to C5D B10.D2.oSn animals. The F1 offspring were backcrossed to parental DBA/1LacJ mice; F2 and subsequent progeny heterozygous for C5 deficiency were successively backcrossed to DBA/1LacJ for six generations and were then intercrossed to produce homozygous C5D- and C5S-DBA/1 lines. The mutant C5 genotype and functional complement deficiency of the C5D-DBA/1 mice were confirmed, respectively, by PCR and by demonstrating an absence of hemolytic activity in the sera of these animals compared with their C5S-DBA/1 counterparts (Fig. 1Go).



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FIGURE 1. Absence of complement-dependent serum hemolytic activity in C5D-DBA/1 mice. Serum samples were harvested from C5S- and C5D-DBA/1 mice before and 35 days after initial immunization with BCII. Sera were prepared and assayed for complement-dependent hemolytic activity. Detectable hemolytic activity in sera from C5D-DBA/1 mice (n = 10) was less than 10% of that measured in C5S-DBA/1 mice (n = 8) before and after immunization with BCII (p < 0.01).

 
C5D-DBA/1 mice are resistant to the induction of collagen arthritis

To assess the effect of C5 deficiency on the induction of collagen arthritis in the DBA/1 background, C5D-DBA/1, C5S-DBA/1, and wild-type DBA/1LacJ mice were immunized with heterologous CII in CFA and then boosted 3 wk later with either heterologous BCII or autologous MCII. Mice were evaluated clinically for the presence of arthritis, and the disease severity was quantitated by measurement of the arthritis index. Among mice immunized and then boosted with heterologous CII, clinically severe arthritis, characterized by redness and swelling and involving multiple limbs, was observed by 4 wk after initial disease induction in 90% of wild-type DBA/1LacJ mice and in 100% of C5S-DBA/1 mice (Table IGo and Fig. 2Go). Thus, the penetrance of arthritis in the C5S-DBA/1 mouse line was complete, with an incidence and severity of disease equivalent to that of DBA/1LacJ animals. In marked contrast, clinically significant arthritis was observed in only three of 20 immunized C5D-DBA/1 mice (Table IGo and Fig. 2Go). In particular, the three C5D animals with arthritis had disease clinically and pathologically (Fig. 5Go) similar to that observed in the C5S-DBA/1 mice (unpublished observations). Hemolytic activity was reassessed in both C5S and C5D mice at day 35 postimmunization to confirm the level of functional complement activity (Fig. 1Go). C5 deficiency was reconfirmed in all three arthritic C5D animals as shown by their low-level serum C5-mediated hemolytic activity (average, 9.43%) during the course of joint inflammation, which was similar to the level found in the arthritis-free C5D littermates (average, 8.2%; p = 0.88).


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Table I. Incidence of joint inflammation in C5S-DBA/1, C5D-DBA/1, and wild-type DBA/1 LacJ mice1

 


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FIGURE 2. Severity of CIA in various DBA/1 mouse strains. C5S-DBA/1, C5D-DBA/1, and wild-type DBA/1LacJ mice were immunized with BCII in CFA on day 1 and were boosted with either BCII or MCII on day 21. Animals were examined two to three times weekly for the onset of joint inflammation. The arthritis index, which measures the overall disease severity, is shown on the vertical axis. Both DBA/1LacJ mice and C5S-DBA/1 animals developed clinically severe arthritis. In marked contrast, clinically significant arthritis was observed in only three of 20 C5D-DBA/1 mice boosted with BCII and was not observed at all in C5D-DBA/1 mice reimmunized with MCII. Filled symbols, animals immunized and boosted with BCII on days 1 and 21; open symbols, animals immunized with BCII on day 1 and then boosted with MCII on day 21. The number of observed mice in each group is shown in parentheses.

 


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FIGURE 5. Histopathology of C5S and C5D arthritic mice. The histologic evaluation of the joints was performed 6 wk after the initial priming with BCII. Joints were stained with H&E. A, Joints from arthritic C5S animals reveal erosion of cartilage and significant proliferation of synovial cells with infiltration of inflammatory cells. B, The three arthritic C5D-DBA/1 mice (<15% of the C5D-DBA/1 mice) have histological features similar to those observed in arthritic C5S-DBA/1 mice. Significant erosion of cartilage and synovial cell hyperplasia were observed. The inflammatory cell infiltrate in both C5S and C5D mice is comprised of lymphocytes, plasma cells, neutrophils, and monocytes. Original magnification, x85.

 
Because it has been proposed (27, 28) that CIA elicited by immunization with autologous CII has features (such as chronicity of course) with particular resemblance to human RA, subsets of mice were boosted at 3 wk with autologous murine CII. The C5 dependence of disease induced in this fashion was demonstrated by the complete absence of CIA in 10 immunized C5D-DBA/1 mice, in contrast to a greater than 90% incidence in similarly challenged DBA/1LacJ animals. (Table IGo and Fig. 2Go).

Normal cellular and humoral immune responses in C5D-DBA/1 mice

To determine the potential influence of C5 deficiency on immune responses to heterologous and autologous CII, representative C5D-DBA/1 mice were immunized and boosted with native bovine collagen in CFA, and their CII-specific cellular and humoral immune responses were assessed in comparison with those of DBA/1LacJ animals. The C5D-DBA/1 mice manifested significant T cell proliferative responses to both the heterologous bovine as well as autologous mouse collagens, both roughly equivalent in magnitude to those of the wild-type DBA/1LacJ mice (Fig. 3GoA). Furthermore, examination of cytokine production via intracellular immunofluorescence demonstrated collagen-specific induction of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-{alpha} in CD4+ T cells from C5D-DBA/1 mice, which again is equivalent to that observed in wild-type mice (Fig. 3GoB). Finally, comparable levels of heterologous and autologous collagen-specific IgG, with similar isotype distribution, were elicited in primed arthritis-free C5D-DBA/1 and arthritic C5S-DBA/1 mice (Fig. 3GoC). Interestingly, preliminary evidence suggested that higher levels of antiautologous murine collagen Ab may be present in arthritic C5D-DBA/1 mice, with increased distribution toward IgG1 and IgG2a subclasses (data not shown).



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FIGURE 3. Cellular and humoral CII-specific immune responses in C5S- and C5D-DBA/1 mouse strains. Animals were immunized and boosted with BCII. A, Type II collagen-specific T cell proliferation. Lymph node cells isolated from BCII-immunized DBA/1LacJ and C5D-DBA/1 mice were cultured in the presence of 20 µg/ml of BCII, MCII, and OVA as described in Materials and Methods. Ag-specific T cell proliferation was calculated as the fold increase in cpm of T cells cultured in the presence of Ag relative to T cells cultured with medium alone (stimulation index). The results shown represent the average of proliferative responses in either two or three animals per group, as indicated above. B, Two-color flow cytometric analysis of intracellular expression of TNF-{alpha} in peripheral T cells. Lymph node cells were isolated from BCII-immunized DBA/1LacJ and C5D-DBA/1 mice. Intracellular expression of TNF-{alpha} was analyzed after incubating the cells overnight with 20 µg/ml BCII. After CD4 and CD8 staining, the lymphocyte populations were gated and analyzed for the percentage of TNF-{alpha}-producing cells by intracellular staining with anti-TNF or with isotype-matched control IgG1 Ab. The percentage of TNF-{alpha}-producing T cells among peripheral CD4+/CD8+ T cell populations is indicated. The specificity of the anti-CD4 and anti-CD8 mAbs was demonstrated by their failure to stain nonlymphoid populations gated by forward and side scatter (data not shown). C, Representative serum titers and subtypes of anti-BCII and anti-MCII Abs from one of two experiments performed. C5S- and C5D-DBA/1 mice were bled 35 days after initial immunization with BCII. Flat-bottom ELISA plates were coated with BCII or MCII. Ab titers (OD units) were determined 2 wk after boosting with BCII and were recorded as the increase in OD units relative to a common baseline titer performed on serum from normal unimmunized DBA/1LacJ mice.

 
Histologic analysis

Histologic analysis was performed to confirm the clinical observations. Significant synovial cell proliferation accompanied by neutrophil, lymphocytic, and plasma cell infiltrates, invasive pannus formation, and cartilage and bone erosion were observed in both arthritic C5S-DBA/1 and C5D-DBA/1 mice (Figs. 4GoB and 5). Thus, the arthritis in the few C5D animals that developed disease was histologically similar to that of C5S littermates. In contrast, the joints of the majority of C5D-DBA/1 mice that had no clinical signs of arthritis were free of inflammatory synovial infiltrates, pannus, and evidence of cartilage and bone damage (Fig. 4GoC), which made them indistinguishable from joints of normal nonimmunized animals (Fig. 4GoA). Importantly, immunohistochemical analysis revealed equivalent intra-articular deposition of IgG (Fig. 4Go, E and F) and C3 (Fig. 4Go, H and I) on the cartilaginous surfaces of primed C5D-DBA/1 and C5S-DBA/1 animals.



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FIGURE 4. Histopathology of CIA in C5S- and C5D-DBA/1 mice. The histologic evaluation of the joints was performed 6 wk after the initial priming with BCII. AC, H&E-stained joints. A, Control nonimmune DBA/1LacJ. Joints reveal normal architecture including normal bone, smooth articular surfaces, and a tag of synovial membrane comprised of a layer of synovial lining cells. B, BCII-immunized DBA/1LacJ mice. There is destruction of normal architecture with complete loss of articular cartilage, bone erosion, and infiltration of inflammatory cells. C, BCII-immunized C5D-DBA/1. Histological features are similar to those observed in normal animals, with normal articular surfaces and smooth synovial membrane without inflammatory cell infiltrates. DF, Immunofluorescence staining for intra-articular deposition of Ig. D, No Ig deposition is observed in the joint of an unimmunized control animal. Intra-articular Ig deposition is observed in joints of immunized DBA/1LacJ (E) and C5D-DBA/1 (F) mice. GI, Immunofluorescence staining for intra-articular C3 deposition. No C3 deposition is observed in the joints of unimmunized control animals (G), but C3 deposition is clearly seen along the articular surfaces in both CII-immunized DBA/1LacJ (H) and C5D-DBA/1 (I) mice. No fluorescence staining was observed in any sections incubated with control FITC-conjugated anti-human IgG {lambda}-chain Ab or anti-human C3 Ab (data not shown). AC, Original magnification, x50; DI, original magnification, x80.

 
Thus, despite the presence of collagen-specific, TNF-{alpha}-producing T cells in peripheral lymphoid tissue as well as intra-articular IgG and C3 deposition, C5D-DBA/1 animals were highly resistant to the induction of inflammatory arthritis.

Relative contribution of C5 to Ab-driven inflammation may depend on tissue site

Previous reports have indicated that Ab/Ag immune complex-driven inflammation in the murine reverse-passive Arthus reaction is relatively complement-independent and rather appears to be initiated predominantly by direct Ig binding and activation of FcR-bearing inflammatory cells (29). We evaluated this issue by eliciting direct Arthus reactions in collagen-primed arthritis-free C5D-DBA/1 and arthritic C5S-DBA/1 mice, respectively. After confirming the presence of circulating anti-collagen Abs, we injected collagen intradermally and then quantitated the resulting cutaneous inflammatory responses. Intradermal injection of CII elicited roughly equivalent Arthus reactions in C5D and C5S animals when evaluated with respect to edema and hemorrhage (Fig. 6GoA) as well as neutrophil infiltration (Fig. 6GoB). The specificity of the reactions was ascertained by the absence of measurable inflammatory responses after intradermal injection with BSA (Fig. 6Go) or after intradermal injection of BCII to DBA/1 mice that had not been immunized with BCII (data not shown). Histologically, the Arthus reactions in both C5S and C5D animals were characterized by edema and intense inflammatory cell infiltrates comprised predominantly of neutrophils (Fig. 7Go). Thus, in actively immunized C5D-DBA/1 animals, pathologic inflammatory responses were elicited after Ag binding and deposition of collagen-specific Abs in the skin but not in the joint.



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FIGURE 6. Evaluation of direct Arthus reactions in C5S and C5D mice. CII-immunized C5S-DBA/1 and C5D-DBA/1 mice were injected intradermally (id) with 200 µg of BCII or BSA in 50 µl PBS. The lesions were evaluated 24 h later. One BCII and one BSA lesion site were evaluated per animal. A, The size of Arthus reaction was determined by multiplying the two widest perpendicular transverse diameters (in mm) of the lesion. The area of macroscopic skin involvement was indicated by edema and hemorrhage at the injection site. In contrast to the absence of joint inflammation in the majority of C5D animals, most C5D as well as C5S mice developed significant Arthus reactions. No inflammatory responses were observed after intradermal injection with BSA. The number of animals evaluated in each group is indicated in parentheses. B, MPO activity in Arthus skin extracts from C5D- and C5S-DBA/1 mice. Comparable levels of MPO activity were measured in skin extracts from both groups of mice. The number of skin samples evaluated per group is shown in the parentheses.

 


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FIGURE 7. Histological examination of direct Arthus reactions. A, A representative H&E-stained section from a normal nonimmunized DBA/1LacJ mouse injected intradermally with 200 µg BCII. B, Direct Arthus reaction in a CII-primed C5S-DBA/1 mouse injected intradermally with 200 µg BCII. C, Direct Arthus reaction in a CII-primed C5D-DBA/1 mouse injected intradermally with 200 µg BCII. Inflammatory responses of similar intensity were elicited by intradermal BCII injection in both C5D and C5S mice. The inflammatory responses shown in this figure involve both dermal and subcutaneous regions of the skin. Original magnification, x50.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
This study demonstrates an obligate role for activation of the terminal complement pathway in the pathogenesis of collagen-induced arthritis, a model of autoimmune inflammatory joint disease with notable similarities to RA. The DBA/1LacJ mouse strain, which represents one of the most sensitive models for the induction of autoreactive joint disease, became almost completely resistant to collagen arthritis when rendered congenic for C5 deficiency. Thus, our data provide evidence for Ab-triggered complement activation as a potentially important pathogenic mechanism in inflammatory joint disease.

The results of this study provide clear evidence that activation of complement may play a critical role in the inflammatory process triggered by Ab and immune complex deposition. Thus, despite abundant Ig and C3 deposition within the joints of C5D-DBA/1 animals, virtually no inflammation ensued.

The paradigm of complement as an important mediator of humoral inflammation has been recently challenged by studies performed in FcR-deficient mouse models, which have shown an apparent predominant role for direct FcR engagement in the initiation of immune complex-triggered inflammatory responses (19, 29). These studies have led to the proposal that the role of the complement system is largely immunoregulatory and only minimally inflammatory, notwithstanding the well-documented proinflammatory activities of activated complement byproducts in multiple models of inflammation (30).

There are several factors that could influence the relative contributions of complement vs FcR inflammatory pathways to a particular immune complex-triggered inflammatory response. These include Ab isotype and titer as well as the site of immune complex deposition. With respect to Ig isotype, FcR mechanisms could predominate with immune complexes comprised of non-complement-fixing Abs or after deposition in sites with abundant resident FcR-bearing inflammatory cells. Conversely, complement-driven inflammation may dominate when immune complexes contain Ig-constant regions poorly bound by FcR or when leukocytes must be attracted to an inflammatory site. Indeed, the joints of the majority of collagen-immunized C5D-DBA/1 mice in the current study were free of inflammatory cells, despite the presence of activated collagen-specific T cells as well as TNF-{alpha}-expressing CD11b+ mononuclear cells (data not shown) in the periphery of these animals. Presumably, inflammatory cell recruitment to the joint by C5a or by other complement-induced chemotactic factors is required for disease initiation in this model. The recent demonstration of C5a receptors on activated T cells is consistent with this interpretation (31). In addition, Ab titer may influence humoral pathways of inflammation. For example, it has been shown that the complement dependence of Ab-mediated renal inflammation is lost at higher Ab doses (32). This effect is observed even in the presence of upstream complement inhibition, ruling out an enhanced role of C3-dependent mechanisms (C3a and C3b) under these conditions (32). Consistent with this, it is of interest that our preliminary evidence suggests that the arthritic C5D animals in this study had higher anti-murine CII autoantibody titers than their nonarthritic counterparts. Further studies will be performed to confirm this and to explore the pathogenesis of the articular inflammation that occurs infrequently in C5D animals.

Finally, complement and FcR could act in concert in many inflammatory responses, with complement both attracting and activating FcR-bearing cells at sites of inflammation. Indeed, a role for FcR in the pathogenesis of collagen-induced arthritis was suggested by the recent observation that genetic deficiency of the inhibitory FcR{gamma}RIIB rendered resistant H-2b mice susceptible to this disease (33).

A role for humoral immunity in arthritis pathogenesis is suggested by evidence derived from preclinical animal models as well as patients with RA. A requirement for collagen-specific Ab generation in the progression of collagen-induced arthritis is well documented (5, 6, 8). Moreover, a recently described TCR transgenic mouse model of spontaneously arising polyarthritis, with many of the characteristics of human RA, was found to require the production of arthritogenic Igs for disease development (34). In this model, arthritis arose serendipitously by crossing a C57BL/6 TCR transgenic mouse line onto the nonobese diabetic genetic background (35). As is the case for collagen-induced arthritis and human RA, systemic T cell reactivity in this model was required predominantly for disease initiation rather than for the progression of established joint inflammation (34).

Considerable evidence also exists for the participation of humoral immune mechanisms in the inflammatory process in human RA (36, 37, 38). Thus, besides the accumulation of T cells, rheumatoid synovitis is also characterized by the infiltration of B cells that differentiate locally into Ab-producing plasma cells (39, 40, 41). The infiltrating plasma cells produce both polyclonal Ig and the autoantibody rheumatoid factors. The overall importance of humoral immunity in the disease process is suggested by the observation that RA disease severity is correlated with the degree of rheumatoid factor seropositivity (42, 43). As a consequence of the substantial local Ig production, Ig levels are markedly elevated in RA synovium. The local Ig production leads to abundant immune complex deposition throughout the joint and consequent complement activation through both the classical and alternative pathways (44). Immune complexes in RA have been proposed to play a role in the generation of invasive pannus and in irreversible cartilage matrix degeneration. Indeed, B cells and immune complexes are often located adjacent to and within sites of tissue destruction in RA joints.

Ab and immune complex deposition within RA joints trigger complement activation. A significant role for complement in the pathologic inflammatory process in RA is supported by a variety of molecular and pathologic evidence (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53). First, extensive local complement activation has been clearly demonstrated in synovial tissue and the synovial fluid of affected joints of patients with RA. As a result, total hemolytic complement, C3, and C4 are markedly diminished in synovial fluid relative to total protein concentration. Measurement of the activated proinflammatory complement byproducts that are generated after C5 cleavage, C5a and C5b-9, has also shown significant elevations in RA joints (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53). C5a and C5b-9 can mediate multiple proinflammatory activities, including leukocyte chemotaxis, adhesion molecule up-regulation, cellular activation with consequent release of additional mediators, and cell lysis (30). Studies have shown elevated levels of C5a in synovial fluid and have further correlated the levels of C5a with the number of synovial fluid neutrophils, the predominant cell type in inflammatory synovial fluid exudates in RA (48). These results have implicated C5a as a critical chemotactic factor responsible for neutrophil accumulation within the RA joint. Extensive deposition of the C5b-9 complex has also been documented throughout inflamed joint tissues in RA (45, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53). Further, the C5b-9 deposits in synovial tissue, both in the synovial cell layer and on stromal mononuclear cells, have been shown to correlate well with the extent of inflammatory synovitis (49). It has also been shown that abundant deposition of complement-containing immune complexes occurs within and adjacent to cartilage surfaces in RA (50). Coupled with the demonstrated toxicity of terminal complement for human chondrocytes (50), this finding implicates complement as a possible mediator of cartilage degradation in RA.

The critical role of complement in the pathogenesis of arthritis in the congenic C5D-DBA/1 mouse strain demonstrated in this report, together with evidence for humoral autoimmunity and complement activation in RA joints, provides a rationale for the therapeutic inhibition of the complement system in this disease. Clinical trials are ongoing to test this hypothesis. Further, the recent proposal (34) that joint lesions in RA may be precipitated by Ab and amplified by cytokines such as TNF- {alpha} raises the interesting possibility that additive clinical benefit could be derived from concurrent complement and cytokine blockade. In fact, synergism between TNF and complement C5 has been demonstrated in several preclinical models of inflammation (54, 55, 56, 57).


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Dr. Chris Mojcik for his critical review of the manuscript and Dr. Russell Rother for designing the methodology for C5 genotype screening.


    Footnotes
 
1 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Drs. Yi Wang or Louis A. Matis, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 25 Science Park, New Haven, CT 06511. Back

2 Abbreviations used in this paper: CIA, collagen-induced arthritis; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; C5D-DBA/1, C5-deficient DBA/1LacJ mice; C5S-DBA/1, C5-sufficient DBA/1LacJ mice; CII, type II collagen; BCII, bovine type II collagen; MCII, mouse type II collagen; H&E, hematoxylin and eosin; MPO, myeloperoxidase. Back

Received for publication July 15, 1999. Accepted for publication February 9, 2000.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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