HLA-B27 transgenic rat: an animal model mimicking gut and joint involvement in human spondyloarthritides

The HLA-B27 gene is strongly associated with the spondyloarthropathies (SpA), a group of chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the bowel, the joints, and the axial skeleton. Yet the basis for this association remains unknown, despite extensive study in the past years. The HLA-B27 transgenic rat spontaneously develops a disease that strikingly resembles human SpA. The purpose of this article is to review the contribution of studies on the HLA-B27 transgenic rat model aimed to elucidate the intimate relationship between gut and joint involvement in SpA.