miRNA Expression and Interaction with Genes Involved in Susceptibility to Pristane-Induced Arthritis.

Pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) in mice is an experimental model that resembles human rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects joints and is characterized by synovial inflammation and articular cartilage and bone destruction. AIRmax and AIRmin mouse lines differ in their susceptibility to PIA, and linkage analysis in this model mapped arthritis severity QTLs in chromosomes 5 and 8. miRNAs are a class of small RNA molecules that have been extensively studied in the development of arthritis.

Distinct gene expression profiles provoked by polyacrylamide beads (Biogel) during chronic and acute inflammation in mice selected for maximal and minimal inflammatory responses.

Objective And Design: AIRmax and AIRmin mice differ in their local acute inflammatory reactions to polyacrylamide beads (Biogel). These lines were developed to identify genes that affect the intensity of the acute inflammatory response (AIR) and to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of acute inflammation. Although these lines are well established, differences in their responses to chronic inflammatory Biogel exposure have not yet been described.