Autoantibodies in the BB/W rat.
The BioBreeding/Worcester (BB/W) rat is a model of spontaneous autoimmune diabetes mellitus and lymphocytic thyroiditis. Additional features supporting an immunologic pathogenesis of the BB/W syndrome include the protective action of antilymphocyte serum, neonatal bone marrow transfusions, and neonatal thymectomy. To evaluate other manifestations of immune dysregulation, the BB/W colony was surveyed for the presence of autoantibodies to a variety of tissue and cell constituents. Anti-smooth muscle and anti-thyroid colloid antibodies were present with great frequency in diabetic animals as well as in normoglycemic offspring of diabetic parents. Anti-parietal cell antibodies were less frequent and islet cell cytoplasmic and adrenal antibodies were not detected. These data suggest that the underlying defect in the BB/W rat is more likely to be an abnormal immune regulatory system than antigenically altered target tissues ("altered self") under attack by a normal immune surveillance system.
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000276:immunology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology; D013966:Thyroiditis / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies