title: Analysis of the spectrotypes of autoantibodies against thyroglobulin in two rat models of autoimmune thyroiditis.
abstract: We have studied the isoelectric focusing (IEF) spectrotypes of autoantibodies against thyroglobulin in two rat models of Hashimoto's thyroiditis: (1) AUG strain rats immunized with autologous thyroglobulin in Freund's complete adjuvant; (2) PVG/c strain rats which have been thymectomized and sublethally irradiated. The IEF spectrotypes revealed differences between the two models. The anti-thyroglobulin response in immunized AUG rats is mainly oligoclonal or polyclonal, often with dominant clones in the spectrotype, similar to about 90% of Hashimoto's patients, whereas the response in the PVG/c rat is highly restricted. There were pronounced changes in spectrotype with time in the PVG/c, but not AUG, rats with considerable variation in the lifespan of individual clones. The maximum lifespan of an anti-self secreting B-cell clone in the PVG/c rat, determined by persistence of its clonotype, was at least 16 weeks.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000145:classification*; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013934:Thymectomy; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology*; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D013954:Thyroglobulin