I-E-linked control of spontaneous rheumatoid factor production in normal mice.
The concentration of serum IgM molecules binding to IgG2a (rheumatoid factor [RF]) in solid phase assays is 10-100-fold higher in normal, unmanipulated C3H/HeJ (H-2k) than in C57BL/6 (H-2b) mice. Analysis of MHC-congenic mice with the prototype strains show that C3H SW (H-2b) are low, and B6.H-2k are high RF expressor strains, respectively. Furthermore, segregation of RF phenotypes in progenies from backcrosses to C3H/HeJ of (C3H/HeJ x C57BL/6)F1 hybrid mice shows MHC- and IgH-linked controls. RF phenotypes also segregate as if they are MHC linked in crosses between H-2-congenic strains (C3H/HeJ and C3H.SW). The study of intra-H-2 (k/b and k/s) recombinant mice suggested that RF phenotype control is linked to the I-E region. This was confirmed by the typing of C57BL/6 mice expressing a transgenic E alpha chain, and thus, I-E+, which, in contrast to nontransgenic littermates, are high expressors of RF.
Pereira
P
P
Département d'Immunologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
Coutinho
A
A
D000818:Animals; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D006183:H-2 Antigens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012217:Rheumatoid Factor