HLA-DR/CII peptide complexes for treating arthritis

A method of treating a chronic inflammatory disease in a human patient comprising administering to the patient a composition comprising recombinant HLA-DR/CII peptide complexes comprising

• (a) an extracellular region of an HLA-DR alpha chain comprising at least an alpha 1 domain;
• (b) an extracellular region of an HLA-DR beta chain comprising at least a beta 1 domain;
• (c) a collagen II peptide (CII peptide), optionally fused to the N-terminus of the HLA-DR alpha chain or the HLA-DR beta chain by a linker peptide;
• and
• (d) a chondroitin-binding peptide at the C-terminal end of the polypeptide comprising the HLA-DR alpha chain and/or the HLA-DR beta chain,
• wherein the CII peptide comprises the amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of AGFKGEQGPKG (SEQ ID NO:
• 1), AGFKGEQGPXG (SEQ ID NO:
• 2), AGFKGEXGPKG (SEQ ID NO:
• 3), AGFKGXQGPKG (SEQ ID NO:
• 4), AGFKXEQGPKG (SEQ ID NO:
• 5), AGFKGEXGPXG (SEQ ID NO:
• 6), AGFKGXQGPXG (SEQ ID NO:
• 7), and AGFKXEQGPXG (SEQ ID NO:
• 8), and
• wherein at least the alpha 1 domain is from DRA*0101, and at least the beta 1 domain is from an HLA-DR allele selected from the group consisting of DRB1*0401, DRB1*0404, DRB1*0405, DRB1*0408, DRB1*0409, DRB1*0101, DRB1*0102, DRB1*1001, DRB1*1402, and DRB1*1303.