Novel recombinant congenic mouse strain developing arthritis with enthesopathy

• Published in: Pathology international 2008-07, Vol.58 (7), p.407-414
• Main Authors: Mori, Shiro, Tanda, Naoko, Ito, Mitsuko R., Oishi, Hisashi, Tsubaki, Takahito, Komori, Hiroaki, Zhang, Ming-Cai, Ono, Masao, Nishimura, Masahiko, Nose, Masato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Ankle Joint - pathology; ankylosis; Ankylosis - epidemiology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - genetics; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - immunology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - pathology; Autoantibodies - blood; Disease Models, Animal; enthesitis; Female; Flow Cytometry; Immunoglobulins - blood; Knee Joint - pathology; Lymphocytes - cytology; Lymphocytes - immunology; Male; Mice; Mice, Congenic - genetics; Mice, Congenic - immunology; Mice, Inbred MRL lpr; MRL/lpr; rheumatoid arthritis; rheumatoid factor; seronegative; Synovitis; Vasculitis - epidemiology
• ISSN: 1320-5463; 1440-1827
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1827.2008.02245.x

Based on the hypothesis that the complex pathological and immunological manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the related diseases are under the control of multiple gene loci with allelic polymorphism, a recombinant congenic mouse strain was prepared between an MRL/Mp‐lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) strain, which develops arthritis resembling RA, and a non‐arthritic strain C3H/HeJ‐lpr/lpr (C3H/lpr). In MRL/lpr × (MRL/lpr × C3H/lpr) F1 mice, the mice developing severe arthritis were selected based on joint swelling to further continue intercrosses, and then an McH‐lpr/lpr‐RA1 (McH/lpr‐RA1) strain was established and its histopathological phenotypes of joints and autoimmune traits were analyzed. Arthritis in McH/lpr‐RA1 mice developed at a higher incidence by 20 weeks of age, compared with that in the MRL/lpr mice, who had severe synovitis (ankle, 60.3%; knee, 65.1%), and also fibrous and fibrocartilaginous lesions of articular ligamenta resembling enthesopathy (ankle, 79.4%; knee, 38.1%), resulting in ankylosis. The lymphoproliferative disorder was less, and serum levels of IgG and IgG autoantibodies including anti‐dsDNA and rheumatoid factor were lower than those of both MRL/lpr and C3H/lpr strains. McH/lpr‐RA1 mice may provide a new insight into the study of RA regarding the common genomic spectrum of seronegative RA and enthesopathy.