Induction of self-tolerance in T cells but not B cells of transgenic mice expressing little self antigen.
Self-tolerance to a transgene-encoded protein, hen egg lysozyme, was examined in the T and B cell repertoires of a series of lines of transgenic mice that expressed different serum concentrations of soluble lysozyme. T cells were tolerant in all lines in which lysozyme was expressed irrespective of the antigen concentration, whereas B cell tolerance did not occur when the serum lysozyme concentration was less than 1.5 nanograms per milliliter (0.1 nM). Induction of elevated transgene expression could restore B cell tolerance. These findings support the hypothesis that autoimmune disease may in some instances arise through a bypass of T cell tolerance.
Adelstein
S
S
Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Pritchard-Briscoe
H
H
Anderson
T A
TA
Crosbie
J
J
Gammon
G
G
Loblay
R H
RH
Basten
A
A
Goodnow
C C
CC
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002645:Chickens; D004529:Egg White; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D005452:Fluoresceins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009113:Muramidase / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013861:Thiocyanates
D005452:Fluoresceins; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D013861:Thiocyanates; D009113:Muramidase; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate