Comparison of antigen-specific T cell responses in autoimmune MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr and MRL/Mp-+/+ mice.
The MRL-1 mouse develops severe autoimmune disease characterized by high titers of autoantibodies at an early age (3 to 5 mo). The congeneic MRL-n mouse, which differs only in the lymphoproliferative (lpr) gene, exhibits no such pathologic or serologic abnormalities at the same age. We examined antigen-specific T cell responses in the MRL-1 mouse and compared them to age- and sex-matched MRL-n controls. We found broad defects in these responses in the MRL-1 mouse; an inability to generate primary allospecific and hapten-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL), secondary hapten- and virus-specific CTL, as well as a deficient proliferative response to hapten and natural antigens and a weak delayed-type hypersensitivity response were demonstrated. Our data furthermore suggest a lack of interleukin 2 (IL 2) acceptor sites in the proliferating T cell, while suggesting no such lack on CTL precursors. In fact, the deficient CTL responses in MRL-1 mice can be restored to levels seen in MRL-n by the in vitro addition of IL 2. The implications of these findings and the possible explanations for the relative deficit in helper function in the MRL-1 mouse are discussed.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000502:physiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes / Q000276:immunology; D010132:p-Azobenzenearsonate / Q000276:immunology
D000939:Epitopes; D006241:Haptens; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014301:Trinitrobenzenes; D010132:p-Azobenzenearsonate