Regulation of anti-DNA B cells in recombination-activating gene-deficient mice.
Anti-DNA antibodies are regulated in normal individuals but are found in high concentration in the serum of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and the MRL lpr/lpr mouse model of SLE. We previously studied the regulation of anti-double-stranded (ds)DNA and anti-single-stranded (ss)DNA B cells in a nonautoimmune background by generating mice carrying immunoglobulin transgenes coding for anti-DNAs derived from MRL lpr/lpr. Anti-dsDNA B cells undergo receptor editing, but anti-ssDNA B cells seem to be functionally silenced. Here we have investigated how anti-DNA B cells are regulated in recombination- activating gene (RAG)-2-/- mice. In this setting, anti-dsDNA B cells are eliminated by apoptosis in the bone marrow and anti-ssDNA B cells are partially activated.
Xu
H
H
Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.
Li
H
H
Suri-Payer
E
E
Hardy
R R
RR
Weigert
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017209:Apoptosis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000276:immunology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C499308:Rag2 protein, mouse; C064655:V(D)J recombination activating protein 2