A new model for rheumatoid arthritis?

A chance observation has led to the development of a new murine model for inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis is induced, and transferred, by T-cell-dependent antibodies to glucose-6-phosphate isomerase. This enzyme is expressed in all cells, and is detectable in serum. There are several similarities to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the murine disease. This elegant model raises several questions as to how and why a systemic response focuses inflammation so strongly on synovial joints. The model also re-introduces the possibility that antibodies to widely expressed self-proteins may play a role in the pathogenesis of RA.