Immunity to ocular and collagen antigens in childhood arthritis and uveitis.

Humoral and cellular immunity to ocular antigens (S antigen and alpha, beta heavy, beta light, and gamma crystallins) and connective tissue antigens (type I, II, III, and IV collagens) were studied in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) with or without uveitis and in controls. There was no association between the presence of uveitis and antibody to any collagen type or of lymphocyte transformation to type II collagen. Antibodies to all crystallins were more common in children with JRA than in controls, and antibodies to BH crystallins were more frequent in children with JRA and uveitis than in those with JRA alone. Such reactivity did not appear to represent antibody cross-reactive with collagen antigens. Lymphocyte proliferation to alpha crystallin was increased in JRA with or without uveitis, whereas lymphocyte response to S antigen was associated with the presence of uveitis.