The Journal of Immunology, Vol 132, Issue 2 633-639, Copyright © 1984 by American Association of Immunologists
Comparison of antigen-specific T cell responses in autoimmune MRL/Mp- lpr/lpr and MRL/Mp-+/+ mice
CF Scott Jr, M Tsurufuji, CY Lu, R Finberg and MS Sy
The MRL-1 mouse develops severe autoimmune disease characterized by high
titers of autoantibodies at an early age (3 to 5 mo). The congeneic MRL-n
mouse, which differs only in the lymphoproliferative (lpr) gene, exhibits
no such pathologic or serologic abnormalities at the same age. We examined
antigen-specific T cell responses in the MRL- 1 mouse and compared them to
age- and sex-matched MRL-n controls. We found broad defects in these
responses in the MRL-1 mouse; an inability to generate primary allospecific
and hapten-specific cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL), secondary hapten- and
virus-specific CTL, as well as a deficient proliferative response to hapten
and natural antigens and a weak delayed-type hypersensitivity response were
demonstrated. Our data furthermore suggest a lack of interleukin 2 (IL 2)
acceptor sites in the proliferating T cell, while suggesting no such lack
on CTL precursors. In fact, the deficient CTL responses in MRL-1 mice can
be restored to levels seen in MRL-n by the in vitro addition of IL 2. The
implications of these findings and the possible explanations for the
relative deficit in helper function in the MRL-1 mouse are discussed.
