Immune response in the mutant diabetic C57BL/Ks-dt+ mouse. Discrepancies between in vitro and in vivo immunological assays.
Cell-mediated and humoral immune responses of mutant diabetic db+/db+ mice were evaluated using in vivo and in vitro immunological assays. When compared to lean, nondiabetic db+/m+ or m+/m+ mice, db+/db+ mice demonstrated markedly altered in vivo immune responses characterized by a significantly diminished ability to reject allogeneic skin grafts, a markedly diminished capacity to generate cytotoxic cells after sensitization with allogeneic EL-4 lymphoma cells and a significantly enhanced plaque-forming cell response to sheep erythrocytes. In contrast, spleen cells from db+/db+ mice demonstrated only minimal alterations in in vitro responses to mitogens and allogeneic cells and no alteration in their capacity to generate an in vitro plaque-forming cell response. The spleens and thymuses of db+/db+ mice weighed significantly less than organs from db+/db+ mice. In addition, thymuses from db+/db+ mice demonstrated a marked deficiency in in vivo [125I]UdR uptake. These data suggest that the altered metabolic status of the diabetic host influences immune function in vivo possibly due to abnormal function of lymphocyte subpopulations.
D000818:Animals; D003601:Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006462:Hemolytic Plaque Technique; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009929:Organ Size; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014181:Transplantation Immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D004247:DNA