[Search of papillomavirus genome in synovial membranes and rheumatoid nodules].

IgG antibodies to rat esophagus stratum corneum are highly specific for rheumatoid arthritis and have been recently shown to be directed against human (pro)filaggrin. Although the mechanisms underlying the loss of tolerance of B lymphocytes for filaggrin remain unelucidated, a role of infection with the human papillomavirus has been suggested on the basis of the following facts: 1) the protein exhibiting the greatest molecular homology with filaggrin is papillomavirus-encoded; 2) human papillomavirus proteins bind to cytoskeletal proteins; 3) human papillomavirus replication is enhanced by friction and rheumatoid lesions predominantly develop in areas subjected to friction, as shown by the distribution of rheumatoid nodules; 4) the rheumatoid pannus resembles a benign tumor. The objectives of this study were to look for the human papillomavirus genome in six synovial membrane specimens and two rheumatoid nodule specimens from rheumatoid arthritis patients with disease durations of more than ten years and in 20 synovial membrane specimens collected during surgical procedures in osteoarthritis patients. The methods used were polymerase chain reaction with papillomavirus-specific primers. The papillomavirus genome was not detected in any of the 28 specimens. A role for the human papillomavirus in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis cannot be ruled out on the basis of these findings because filaggrin is expressed in other tissues, including the thymic medulla epithelium. In addition, the primers used in this study may have been inappropriate.