title: Effect of sex on the induction of anti-DNA antibodies in normal mice immunized with bacterial DNA.
abstract: Immunization of normal mice with bacterial DNA elicits a significant IgG anti-DNA response and has been explored as a model of systemic lupus erythematosus. To determine whether this induced response is influenced by sex, we have measured anti-DNA levels in normal male and female BALB/c mice immunized with single stranded DNA from E. coli as complexes with methylated bovine serum albumin (mBSA) in adjuvant. By ELISA assays, anti-DNA levels of immunized females were approximately 16-fold higher than those of immunized males; levels of antibodies to the mBSA carrier were similar, however. The antibodies from females and males showed a similar degree of cross-reactivity when assayed using other natural and synthetic DNA antigens, including mammalian DNA. These findings suggest the potentiation of anti-DNA production in females by antigen-specific mechanisms and provide further evidence that immunization with bacterial DNA replicates features of autoantibody production in SLE.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Durham Veterans Administration Hospital, NC.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Gilkeson
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Pisetsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D001323:Autoantibodies; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded