A critical role for plasma kallikrein in the pathogenesis of autoantibody‐induced arthritis

ABSTRACT The plasma kallikrein‐kinin system (KKS) consists of serine proteases, prekallikrein (pKal) and factor XII (FXII), and a cofactor, high‐MW kininogen (HK). Upon activation, activated pKal and FXII cleave HK to release bradykinin. Activation of this system has been noted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and its pathogenic role has been characterized in animal arthritic models. In this study, we generated 2 knockout mouse strains that lacked pKal and HK and determined the role of KKS in autoantibody‐induced arthritis. In a K/BxN serum transfer‐induced arthritis (STIA) model, mice that lacked HK, pKal, or bradykinin receptors displayed protective phenotypes in joint swelling, histologic changes in inflammation, and cytokine production; however, FXII‐deficient mice developed normal arthritis. Inhibition of Kal ameliorated arthritis severity and incidence at early stage STIA and reduced the levels of major cytokines in joints. In addition to releasing bradykinin from HK, Kal directly activated monocytes to produce proinflammatory cytokines, up‐regulated their C5aR and FcRIII expression, and released C5a. Immune complex increased pKal activity, which led to HK cleavage. The absence of HK is associated with a decrease in joint vasopermeability. Thus, we identify a critical role for Kal in autoantibody‐induced arthritis with pleiotropic effects, which suggests that it is a new target for the inhibition of arthritis.—Yang A., Zhou, J., Wang B., Dai, J., Colman, R. W., Song, W., Wu, Y. A critical role for plasma kallikrein in the pathogenesis of autoantibody‐induced arthritis. FASEB J. 31, 5419–5431 (2017). www.fasebj.org