The pathophysiology of autoimmune arthritis was studied by selecting and isolating lines of effector T lymphocytes from rats administered an arthritogenic dose of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in complete Freund's adjuvant to induce adjuvant arthritis. Irradiated rats were intravenously inoculated with a cell line characterized by proliferative reactivity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and, to a lesser degree, to rat collagen type II. This produced arthritis in all the irradiated rats. Nonirradiated recipients failed to develop arthritis. However, such rats, and those recovering from cell-mediated arthritis, were resistant to subsequent attempts to induce adjuvant arthritis. Lines of T lymphocytes selected for responsiveness to other antigens had no effect. Therefore, a line of T lymphocytes responsive to bacteria or to collagen type II could either induce autoimmune arthritis or serve as an agent of vaccination against it.