Collagen-induced arthritis in mice. VI. Synovial cells from collagen arthritic mice activate autologous lymphocytes in vitro.

Synovial cells were extracted from normal and collagen-arthritic mice and investigated for lymphocyte-activating properties. In mixed cell culture, irradiated fibroblast-like synovial cells from DBA/1 LacJ arthritic mice stimulated a strong proliferative response in spleen cells from syngeneic normal mice, but not in cells from allogeneic DBA/2. B10.RIII, or BALB/c mice. This novel stimulus occurred in the absence of detectable Class II MHC antigen expression on the fibroblast-like synovial cell surface or increased autologous mixed lymphocyte reactions between DBA/1 LacJ spleen and lymph node cells. Irradiated synovial cells were also unable to present type II collagen to a collagen-specific T cell line and to stimulate proliferation. Addition of interferon-gamma or interleukin-1 failed to induce detectable surface Ia on the synovial fibroblasts or induce the capacity for antigen presentation in these cells.