Characterization of monoclonal antibody specific for human type II collagen: possible implication in collagen-induced arthritis.

We obtained monoclonal antibodies specific for human type II collagen and characterized them using human collagen type I, II, III and V and tropocollagen A (3/4) (TCA) and tropocollagen B (1/4) (TCB) fragments of type II collagen which were obtained by digestion with tadpole collagenase. These antibodies were of the IgG2a class and specific for the conformational determinant of TCA fragment of type II collagen. When injected intravenously into DBA/1J mice, one of the monoclonal antibodies induced arthritis, which was characterized by early onset, mildness in severity and preferential localization mainly in the peripheral joints of the lower extremities. These results suggest that, at least, one of the arthritogenic determinants of type II collagen for collagen-induced arthritis of mice exists in the three quarter region from the N-terminus of type II collagen.