Requirement of IL-17 receptor signaling in radiation-resistant cells in the joint for full progression of destructive synovitis

IL-17 is a proinflammatory cytokine suspected to be involved in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study, we report that IL-17R signaling is required in radiation-resistant cells in the joint for full progression of chronic synovitis and bone erosion. Repeated injections of Gram-positive bacterial cell wall fragments (streptococcal cell wall) directly into the knee joint of naive IL-17R-delicient (IL-17R(-/-)) mice had no effect on the acute phase of arthritis but prevented progression to chronic destructive synovitis as was noted in wild-type (wt) mice. Microarray analysis revealed significant down-regulation of leukocyte-specific chemokines, selectins, cytokines, and collagenase-3 in the synovium of IL-17R(-/-) mice. Bone marrow (BM) chimeric mice revealed the need for IL-17R expression on radiation-resistant joint cells for destructive inflammation. Chimeric mice of host wt and donor IL-17R(-/-) BM cells developed destructive synovitis in this chronic reactivated streptococcal cell wall arthritis model similar to wt -> wt chimeras. In contrast, chimeric mice of host IL-17R(-/-)-> IL-17R(-/-) and donor wt BM cells were protected from chronic destructive arthritis similar as IL-17R(-/-),IL-17R(-/-) chimeras. These data strongly indicate that IL-17R signaling in radiation-resistant cells in the joint is required for turning an acute macrophage-mediated inflammation into a chronic destructive synovitis.