IL-18 is redundant in T-cell responses and in joint inflammation in antigen-induced arthritis.

IL-18 is an important cofactor in Th1 immune responses and it has additional roles in inflammation. Recent reports suggest the contribution of IL-18 to immune responses may vary between mouse strains and immune contexts. We investigated the contribution of IL-18 to T-cell activation and joint inflammation in Ag-induced arthritis (AIA) in C57Bl/6 mice.

Reduction of arthritis severity in protease-activated receptor-deficient mice.

Objective: Protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1) is the cell surface receptor for thrombin. It is unclear whether thrombin contributes to inflammation other than by effects on coagulation. We investigated the proinflammatory participation of PAR-1 in antigen-induced arthritis (AIA).

Reduction in arthritis severity and modulation of immune function in tissue factor cytoplasmic domain mutant mice.

Tissue factor (TF), a transmembrane receptor for plasma factor VII(a), is the main initiator of the coagulation cascade. It has also been implicated in noncoagulant processes, including inflammation. The function of the TF cytoplasmic domain was studied in mice in which 18 of the 20 cytoplasmic amino acids were deleted.