K/BxN serum transfer model

The K/BxN serum transfer model is an excellent model to study the effector ph ase of inflammatory arthritis due to its high penetrance and reproducibility, as well as the ability to easily transfer the disease with serum into genetically deficient strains. It is also an excellent model to study the role of chemoattractants in neutrophil trafficking into the joint as neutrophil entry into the joint is absolutely required for the development of arthritis in this model (Monach et al., 2008 Wipke AUen, 2001). 

Chemokines regulate the migration of cells in vivo and dysregulated expression of chemokines and their receptors are implicated in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Inflammatory arthritides, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are characterized by the recruitment of inflammatory cells into joints. The K/BxN serum transfer mouse model of inflammatory arthritis shares many similar features with RA. In this autoantibody-induced model of arthritis, neutrophils are the critical immune cells necessary for the development of joint inflammation and damage. In this review, we describe the use of several methods to study the role of chemoattractant receptors, including chemokine receptors, on the recruitment of neutrophils into the joint in the K/BxN model of inflammatory arthritis. This includes both traditional methods, such as flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme assays, as well as multiphoton in vivo microscopy that we have adapted to study the role of immune cell trafficking in and around the joint in live mice. 

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