title: Age-dependent responsiveness to interleukin-6 in B lymphocytes from a systemic lupus erythematosus-prone (NZB x NZW)F1 hybrid.
abstract: The cellular mechanisms for the production of IgG anti-DNA antibodies were studied. Culture of T and B cells from old (NZB x NZW)F1 mice led to the production of IgG anti-DNA antibodies. We found that direct cell contact was partly necessary for the production of IgG anti-DNA antibodies. Fixation of the T cells showed that lymphokines were largely responsible for the antibody synthesis. Antibodies to mouse interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibited the production of these antibodies in the T-B cell coculture. Human IL-6 could induce small "resting" B cells from the old (NZB x NZW)F1 mice to produce IgG anti-DNA antibodies in a dose-dependent fashion. The response was inhibited by an anti-human IL-6 monoclonal antibody. Large or small B cells from young (B/W)F1 mice or Balb/c mice were not induced by IL-6 to antibody production. Therefore, the capacity of the B/W mice to produce the IgG anti-DNA antibodies correlated with the ability of the B cells to respond to IL-6 and with the age at which the mice begin to have signs of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Arrhenius Laboratories for Natural Sciences, Stockholm University, Sweden.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Alarcón-Riquelme
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000502:physiology; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008222:Lymphokines