title: Autoantibodies to vascular smooth muscle are pathogenic for vasculitis.
abstract: We have previously shown that microvascular smooth muscle activates CD4+ T lymphocytes in sterile co-culture, presents antigen, and produces inflammatory cytokines. Adoptive transfer of lymphocytes co-cultured with syngeneic smooth muscle cells to healthy recipient mice results in vasculitic lesions predominantly in postcapillary venules. The present study assessed the pathogenic role of immunoglobulin and B cells in a murine model of vasculitis. Here, we show that transferred B cells, including plasmablast cells, accumulated, persisted, and proliferated in lung and secondary lymphoid organs of recipient mice. The induction of vasculitis was accompanied by production of IgM and IgG2a autoantibodies specific for vascular smooth muscle intracellular antigens. Circulating immunoglobulin had a pathogenic role in this vasculitis model, because the disease could be induced by transfer of serum from vasculitic mice to untreated animals but not by transfer of serum depleted of anti-smooth muscle autoantibodies. Additionally, the pathogenic mechanisms triggered by the transfer of vasculitogenic serum were dependent on T lymphocytes because both wild-type and B cell-deficient mice developed the disease after serum transfer, whereas RAG2-deficient mice did not. Thus, immunoglobulin and cell-mediated pathways work in concert to produce vasculitis in this model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 6152 MSC, University of Wisconsin, 1300 University Ave., Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Dana Carina
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Baiu
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barger
authors.forename: Matyas
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandor
authors.forename: Zsuzsa
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fabry
authors.forename: Michael Noel
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hart
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000276:immunology*; D044967:Serum / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies