Interleukin 2 responsive T cell clones from rheumatoid and normal subjects: proliferative responses to connective tissue elements.

In vivo-activated interleukin 2 responsive T cell clones were generated from peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and from normal control PB. The specificity of these clones was assessed by measuring proliferation induced by the connective tissue elements (CTE) collagen types I and II, native and denatured, proteoglycans, and irrelevant control antigens. The cloned T cells from RA patients but not from normal subjects responded in vitro with proliferation to all CTE but not to control antigens purified protein derivative, ovalbumin, or lysozyme. Proliferation occurred in the presence and absence of accessory cells (AC), but the responses were consistently higher in the presence of AC. Antibodies to HLA-DR abrogated the proliferative response to CTE suggesting that DR expression was necessary for the induction of proliferation. These findings demonstrate the existence of clonable T cells responsive to CTE in PB and SF of RA patients. Expression of reactivity to CTE may contribute to the chronicity of the inflammation in RA.