[Intra-articular B-cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis]

B-cells of the rheumatoid synovial tissue are constant and in some cases dominant elements of the inflammatory infiltrate and are located near to the site of tissue destruction. The pattern of B-cell distribution, the pattern and the relationship to the corresponding antigen presenting cells (follicular dendritical reticulum cells; FDC's) shows a great variation: B cells exhibit a follicular organisation forming secondary follicles, follicle like patterns with irregular formed FDC's networks and a diffuse pattern of and isolated FDC's. Molecular analysis of immunoglobulin genes from synovial B-cell clones and synovial tissue demonstrates the occurrence of immunoglobulin gene hypermutation as well as germline configuration. The FDC formations in the synovial tissue may therefore serve as an environment for B-cell maturation which is involved in the generation of autoantibodies. An autoantibody may be only defined as "pathogenic" if the antibody fulfills the Witebsky-Rose-Koch criteria for classical autoimmune disease: definition of the autoantibody, induction of the disease by transfer of the autoantibody and isolation of the autoantibody from the disease specific lesion. B-cells of rheumatoid synovial tissue show specificity for FcIgG, collagen 2, sDNA, tetanus toxoid, mitochondrial antigens (M2) and bacterial HSP's and the contribution of these antibodies to the pathogenesis of RA are still hypothetic. Antibody with specificity for bacterial HSP's which have arose during contact with an infectious agent and may due to crossreactivity with eukaryotic HSP of synovial tissue perpetuate the local inflammatory process. The characteristic pattern, the localisation within the area of tissue destruction and the exclusive function of B-cells to recognize conformation dependent antigens suggests a central role of B-cells in the inflammatory process. The analyzation of the synovial tissue B-cell therefore will help to characterise antigens which are responsible for the pathogenesis of RA.