Studies of congenitally immunologic mutant New Zealand mice. II. Absence of T cell progenitor populations and B cell defects of congenitally athymic (nude) New Zealand Black (NZB) mice.
Congenitally athymic (nude) mice on an NZB, NZW, and BALB/c background were produced by repetitive selective backcrossing. F'12 generation nude mice of these three strains were compared to their littermate nu/+ controls with respect to survival, histology, blood counts, splenic surface markers, response to mitogens, spontaneous plaque-forming cells, and appearance of naturally occurring thymocytotoxic antibodies (NTA). Under specific pathogen-free conditions, NZB nude mice survive less than 3 weeks, dying of a runting-like disease with infection by local normally noninvasive organisms. A contributing factor to his premature death is the relative absence of T cell progenitor populations in the NZB nude vs NZW nude or BALB/c nude groups. Furthermore, NZB nude mice have a significantly earlier appearance of NTA than nu/+ littermates and likewise appear to have heightened spontaneous polyclonal B cell responses against the haptens dansyl, nitroiodophenyl, trinitrophenyl,2,4 dinitrophenyl, and sulfonate. It is suggested that NZB mice have several critical immunologic defects, including abnormalities of thymic epithelial cells, T cell differentiation pathways, and chronically polyclonal activated B cell populations. These defects interact to produce the clinical expression of autoimmunity.
D000818:Animals; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008934:Mitogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D009154:Mutation; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell; D018805:Sepsis / Q000401:mortality; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D008934:Mitogens; D011947:Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell