Assessment of the potential pathogenicity of type II collagen autoantibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence of restricted IgG3 subclass expression and activation of complement C5 to C5a.

IgG subclass analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of the autoantibody to native type II collagen, detected in 9 patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis, demonstrated a predominance of IgG3 autoantibody. Gm allotyping revealed no obvious association with a particular phenotype. In comparative studies, IgG antibodies to the capsular polysaccharides of pneumococci and tetanus toxoid protein in these same patients consisted predominantly of IgG2 and IgG4. Purified type II collagen autoantibody from 3 of these patients activated complement C5 to C5a when bound to human cartilage in vitro, as measured by radioimmunoassay. These results represent direct evidence of a potential pathogenic role for this autoantibody in rheumatoid arthritis.