ROLE OF TNFRp55 AND IL-12p40 IN Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 INDUCED ARTHRITIS: TRIGGERING BACTERIAL ANTIGENS AND ARTICULAR IMMUNE RESPONSE

ELIÇABE, JAVIER; LACOSTE, MARÍA GABRIELA; GUTIÉRREZ, JÉSICA; DI GENARO, MARÍA SILVIA

Rio de Janeiro

Congreso; 13th International Congress of immunology; 2007

International Union of Immunological Socities (IUIS), ALAI, SBI

The pathogenesis of reactive arthritis (ReA), an aseptic synovitis that follows an extra-articular infection, is incompletely known. We studied the impact of TNFRp55 or IL-12p40 deficiency on ReA progression after oral Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 infection, analyzed relevant Yersinia antigens, and intra-articular immune response. Wild-type, TNFRp55-/- and IL-12p40-/- C57BL/6 mice were orogastrically infected with Y. enterocolitica O:3, and monitored for survival and arthritis development. The bacterial load was determined in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), the spleen and joints. Articular TNF-alpha mRNA expression by RT-PCR, and TNF-alpha protein by ELISA were analysed. Articular Yersinia-specific antibodies were studied by ELISA and dot-blot, and  nitric oxide (NO) by Griess reaction. The survival rate was 75 % in IL-12p40-/-, and 60% in TNFRp55-/- mice. On day 3, both immunodeficient mice showed impaired bacterial clearance in MLN and the spleen (p