Definition of MHC and T cell receptor contacts in the HLA-DR4-restricted immunodominant epitope in type II collagen and characterization of collagen-induced arthritis in HLA-DR4 and human CD4 transgenic mice

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease associated with the HLA-DR4 and DR1 alleles. The target autoantigen(s) in RA is unknown but type II collagen (CII) is a candidate, and the DR4- and DR1-restricted immunodominant T cell epitope in this protein corresponds to amino acids 261-273 (Cn 261-273). We have defined MHC and T cell receptor contacts in CII 261-273 and provide strong evidence that this peptide corresponds to the peptide binding specificity previously found for RA-associated DR molecules. Moreover, we demonstrate that HLA-DR4 and human CD4 transgenic mice homozygous for the I-A(beta)(b)(0) mutation are highly susceptible to collagen-induced arthritis and describe the clinical course and histopathological changes in the affected joints.