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In a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Utah, the team discovered a gene variant that appears to be responsible for the development of severe, inflammatory arthritis in mice. The researchers hope that the discovery of the naturally occurring genetic variation could help with future research looking into better treatment options for arthritis.

"We were hoping to identify genes and physiological pathways responsible for the differences in arthritis severity, with an eventual goal of identifying potential therapeutic interventions," stated Janis Weis, Ph.D., professor of pathology at the University and senior author of the study.

For this study, the researchers examined two groups of mice with different strains. In one group, the C3H strain of mice went on to get severe arthritis after getting Lyme disease. In human cases, people with Lyme disease have also been tied to inflammatory arthritis. In the other group of mice known as the B6 strain of mice, they develop milder symptoms of arthritis. The researchers crossed the two strains and after 20 years, the researchers arrived at a single base pair change in the glucuronidase gene, dubbed the Gusbh.

The researchers reported that Gusbh mice with Lyme disease went on to develop severe arthritis symptoms. This group of mice also developed a condition that mimic rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers concluded that the protein encoded by Gusbh could lead to the two types of inflammatory artistic in mice. The researchers stated that more research would need to be done to determine how Gusbh contributes to the development of severe arthritis.

The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.