Spontaneous production of anti-mouse red blood cell autoantibodies is independent of the polyclonal activation in NZB mice.
New Zealand Black (NZB) mice spontaneously develop an autoimmune hemolytic anemia together with a markedly increased production of polyclonal antibodies. The spontaneous generation of anti-mouse red blood cells (MRBC), anti-bromelain-treated MRBC (BrMRBC) and anti-DNA autoantibodies was compared to the polyclonal antibody formation in irradiated (800 rad) 2-month-old NZB mice reconstituted with bone marrow cells (BMC) from 2- or 10-month-old NZB mice. The injection of 10-month-old NZB BMC markedly accelerated the mortality rate in parallel with the progressive increase of anti-MRBC and anti-BrMRBC autoantibody production, but the spontaneous production of polyclonal IgM antibodies and anti-DNA autoantibodies was completely abolished down to the levels of non-autoimmune mice. In contrast, mice reconstituted with 2-month-old NZB BMC exhibited neither the acceleration of anemia nor the lack of polyclonal antibody production. These results strongly suggest that the spontaneous production of anti-MRBC autoantibodies, including anti-BrMRBC autoantibodies, in the NZB mouse occurs independently of the polyclonal B cell activation, and that they result from a specific immune stimulation, while the anti-DNA autoantibody production is a consequence of polyclonal antibody formation.
Reininger
L
L
Department of Pathology, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Shibata
T
T
Schurmans
S
S
Merino
R
R
Fossati
L
L
Lacour
M
M
Izui
S
S
D000744:Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune / Q000209:etiology; D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D004247:DNA / Q000276:immunology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008814:Mice, Inbred NZB
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D004247:DNA