The glycosylation of IgG results in many different glycoforms. A large body of correlative data (including remission of arthritis during pregnancy) has suggested that IgG molecules lacking galactose were associated with rheumatoid arthritis. We now demonstrate that agalactosyl IgG glycoforms are directly associated with pathogenicity in murine collagen-induced arthritis. We show that passive tr...

We have developed a novel antibody-based treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In a collagen antibody-induced arthritis mouse model, anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) prevent the onset and/or exacerbation of inflammation, and prevent or strongly reduce joint damage. For the development of this novel therapy, we focussed on rheumatoid arthritis-specific citrullinated peptide epitopes. ...

INTRODUCTION: Most of the therapeutic compounds used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are given systemically. In an effort to more specifically target diseased and damaged areas of cartilage and to significantly reduce the risk of systemic side effects, we have devised a theranostic method of drug delivery using immunoliposomes. Unilamellar vesicles (ULV) in...

We have previously reported that collagen-induced arthritis can be suppressed by intravenous injection of native type II (CII) but not type I collagen. We have now identified denatured fragments of CII capable of suppressing collagen-induced arthritis and inducing tolerance. Purified CII was cleaved with cyanogen bromide (CB), and the major resulting peptides were isolated. Female DBA/1 mice we...

Prostanoids and PGE2 in particular have been long viewed as one of the major mediators of inflammation in arthritis. However, experimental data indicate that PGE2 can serve both pro- and anti-inflammatory functions. We have previously shown (Kojima et al., J. Immunol. 180 (2008) 8361-8368) that microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1) deletion, which regulates PGE2 production, resulted i...

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to determine the utility of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for anti-angiogenic gene therapy in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS CIA mice were generated by immunization with bovine type-II collagen and Freund's complete adjuvant. AAV vectors containing angiostatin and enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression units...