The effect of protein deficiency on the development of chronic antigen-antibody complex disease in mice.
Mice genetically selected to produce antibodies of either high or low affinity to protein antigens injected in saline were fed either a normal protein diet or a protein-deficient diet and were given daily injections of HSA for up to 73 days to induce chronic antigen-antibody complex disease. In low-affinity mice fed the normal protein diet, this resulted in impairment of renal function, deposition of immunoglobulin, C3 and HSA in the glomeruli, high levels of circulating antigen-antibody complexes and death from apparent renal failure in 50% of the animals. High-affinity mice on either diet had no impairment of renal function, fewer deposits in the glomeruli, lower levels of circulating complexes and no deaths. Low-affinity mice fed the protein-deficient diet had less impairment of renal function and less glomerular deposition of complexes than did low-affinity mice fed the normal diet. In addition, none of these mice died from renal failure. These results demonstrate that the protein-deficient diet reduced the severity of the experimental chronic antigen-antibody complex disease in low affinity mice but did not increase the susceptibility of high-affinity mice to the disease.
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D000915:Antibody Affinity; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007105:Immune Complex Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D007668:Kidney / Q000503:physiopathology; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000276:immunology; D014168:Transferrin / Q000276:immunology
D000906:Antibodies; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000941:Antigens; D012709:Serum Albumin; D014168:Transferrin