Proliferation of CD3+ B220- single-positive normal T cells was suppressed in B-cell-deficient lpr mice.
It is known that lpr mice develop systemic lymphadenopathy and lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune disease that are associated with the accumulation of CD4- CD8- (double-negative; DN) CD3+ B220+ abnormal T cells as well as normal mature CD4+ or CD8+ single-positive (SP) CD3+ T cells. In order to clarify the role of B cells in the lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity of lpr mice, we created B-cell-deficient C57BL/6 (B6) lpr mice (B6lpr/lpr microMT/microMT) by crossing B6lpr/lpr mice with B6 microMT/microMT mice in which the B-cell development was arrested at pre-B stage owing to a targeted disruption of the immunoglobulin mu heavy-chain gene locus. In the B-cell-deficient B6-lpr mice, both lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly were markedly suppressed. Although the accumulation of both CD3+ B220- SP normal T cells and CD3+ B220+ DN abnormal T cells was inhibited in the B-cell-deficient lpr mice, the decrease in numbers of CD3+ B220- SP normal T cells occurred more strikingly than that of the CD3+ B220+ DN abnormal T cells. Glomerulonephritis did not develop in the B-cell-deficient lpr mice over 40 weeks. The present results indicate that the B cells thus play a crucial role in the extensive proliferation of normal CD3+ B220- mature SP T cells rather than the accumulation of abnormal DN T cells.
Akashi
T
T
First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Japan.
Nagafuchi
S
S
Anzai
K
K
Kitamura
D
D
Wang
J
J
Taniuchi
I
I
Niho
Y
Y
Watanabe
T
T
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008206:Lymphatic Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
D017252:CD3 Complex