Autoreactive T cells in mercury-induced autoimmunity. Ability to induce the autoimmune disease.
It has been previously shown that autoreactive T cells appear during mercury-induced autoimmunity in Brown-Norway (BN) rats. In the present work, it is shown that: 1) T cells and T helper cells from HgCl2-injected BN rats are able to actively transfer autoimmunity in normal BN rats; the disease transferred is exacerbated when recipients are treated with the antisuppressor/cytotoxic T cell monoclonal antibody (OX8); 2) normal T cells preincubated with HgCl2 are also able to transfer the disease in OX8-treated but not in T cell-depleted rats; and 3) T cells from HgCl2-injected BN rats also transferred the disease in both normal and T cell depleted rats. It is concluded that: 1) autoreactive T cells, and presumably anti-Ia T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of mercury-induced autoimmunity; 2) these autoreactive T cells induce suppressor/cytotoxic T cells to proliferate in normal syngeneic recipients; the fact that this T cell subset did not proliferate in HgCl2-injected BN rats suggests that HgCl2 also affects T suppressor cells; and 3) mercury-induced autoimmunity could result from the additive effect of the emergence of autoreactive T cells and of a defect at the T suppressor level.
Pelletier
L
L
Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, Hôpital Broussais, Paris, France.
Pasquier
R
R
Rossert
J
J
Vial
M C
MC
Mandet
C
C
Druet
P
P
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D008297:Male; D008627:Mercuric Chloride; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000637:transplantation; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001324:Autoantigens; D008627:Mercuric Chloride