T cell responses to streptococcal antigens in rats: relation to susceptibility to streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis

In order to investigate the immunological mechanism of the chronic phase of streptococcal cell wall (SCW)-induced arthritis in Lewis rats, we compared the SCW-specific T cell response in arthritis-susceptible (female Lewis) and resistant (F344) rats. We present evidence that this T cell response is absent in F344 rats, while it is clearly present in Lewis rats. The T cell response was analyzed both in the spleen and in lymph nodes. In addition, we show, that injection of SCW in the F344 rat induces a general unresponsiveness in this strain: the response to mitogen was severely suppressed in SCW-injected F344 rats and, furthermore, when SCW was coinjected with ovalbumin, the response to ovalbumin was depressed. The fact that priming with ovalbumin alone induces a normal response in the F344 rat to both mitogen and ovalbumin implies that the observed abnormality after SCW priming is not a general immunological defect in this strain. Additionally, we demonstrate that adherent cells of both Lewis and F344 exert negative effects on an in vitro T cell response after injection with SCW, and that F344-adherent cells are more potent in this effect. Removal of OX8-positive cells leads to a restoration of the SCW-specific T cell response in SCW-injected F344 rats, indicating that the expression of this response is controlled by (SCW-specific?) suppressor T cells. Our results provide suggestive evidence for the obligatory role of SCW-specific T cells in the expression of chronic joint inflammation after systemic injection of SCW.