To assess the claim that the human 60-kd heat-shock protein (HSP) is highly expressed in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but is not readily detected in normal tissues.
Monoclonal antibodies were raised against the human 60-kd mitochondrial heat-shock protein (P1 protein; hsp60), and their specificity was established. They were then applied to synovial tissue.
HSP was expressed similarly in normal, osteoarthritic, and RA synovium. Low levels of hsp60 were detected in synovial fluid by immunoprecipitation.
Minor differences in the distribution of hsp60 in synovium from RA joints were attributable to increased cellularity and to the disorganization of the tissue architecture.