A new twist on superantigen-activated autoimmune disease

Superantigen-induced (Sag-induced) autoimmunity has been proposed as a mechanism for many human disorders, without a clear understanding of the potential triggers. In this issue of the JCI, McCarthy and colleagues used the SKG mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis to characterize the role of Sag activity in inflammatory arthritis by profiling arthritogenic naive CD4+ T cells. Within the diseased joints, they found a marked enrichment of T cell receptor-variable β (TCR-Vβ) subsets that were reactive to the endogenously encoded mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) Sag. Arthritis was improved using reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Moreover, depletion of MMTV Sag-activated TCR-Vβ subsets affected the ability of transferred activated CD4+ T cells to induce disease in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Further virological studies should determine whether endogenous or exogenous MMTV is necessary or sufficient to trigger inflammatory arthritis in the SKG model.