A 5th type of hypersensitivity reaction: Does incidental recruitment of autoreactive effector memory T-cells in response to minute amounts of PAMPs or DAMPs, underlie inflammatory episodes in the seronegative arthropathies and acute anterior uveitis?

Summary 

There are many documented associations of the HLA B27-related diseases – the seronegative arthropathies (SNAs) and acute anterior uveitis (AAU). However, to date no single pathogenic mechanism has been proposed which can account for more than a few of these associations.

The hypothesis presented in this paper is that individual inflammatory episodes in the SNAs and HLA B27 AAU are initiated locally within the inflamed site, in response to tiny quantities of innately recognised molecules – pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). However, clinically significant responses to such small amounts of PAMPs/DAMPs only occur in those individuals who possess pre-existing tissue-specific autoreactive effector memory T-cells, which once recruited into the tissue where their autoantigen resides, can mediate inflammatory damage.

The mechanism put forward here could explain much of the research evidence and distinguishing clinical features of the HLA B27-associated diseases. These include: the well documented involvement of micro-organisms and tissue damage in these diseases; the more frequent involvement of certain organs compared with others; the often local and asymmetrical presentation of the SNAs/AAU, which contrasts with other autoimmune diseases that effect many sites in a more diffuse/symmetrical pattern; the fact that these diseases which are thought to be mediated by T-cells, are nonetheless refractory to treatment with T-cell activation blockers.

Finally, if correct, the mechanism would define a 5th type of clinical hypersensitivity reaction, one manifested by an excessive reaction to small pro-inflammatory signals, in individuals who possess tissue-specific autoreactive effector memory T-cells.