The Journal of Immunology, Vol 150, Issue 2 695-699, Copyright © 1993 by American Association of Immunologists

ARTICLES

MRL mice produce anti-Su autoantibody, a specificity associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

EL Treadwell, P Cohen, D Williams, K O'Brien, A Volkman and R Eisenberg
Department of Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858-4354.

Certain autoimmune mouse strains exhibit features similar to human SLE. To discover genetic and immunologic events governing expression of a new SLE-associated antibody, the presence of anti-Su and its relationship to other SLE-related antibodies (anti-Sm, - ribonucleoprotein, -Ro (SS-A), -La (SS-B)) were determined in MRL and other autoimmune and nonautoimmune mice. By double immunodiffusion, sera from 34/183 (19%) 4- to 10-mo-old MRL/Mp-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) and 28/108 (26%) 8- to 20-mo-old MRL/Mp(-)+/+ (MRL/+) mice were positive for anti-Su antibodies. Anti-Sm antibodies were found in 60/183 (33%) and 39/108 (36%) of these animals, respectively. The two specificities were found together in individual mice more frequently than would be predicted by chance. In contrast, C57BL/6-lpr/lpr (B6/lpr) mice rarely showed either specificity. Analysis of F1 hybrids between B6/lpr and MRL/lpr and of F1 x MRL/lpr backcross mice suggested that a small number of autosomal recessive genes controlled the anti-Su and anti-Sm responses. With the exception of a single NZB serum sample, NZB, BXSB, and nonautoimmune mice were negative for all antibodies tested, and no mice were positive for anti-RNP, anti-Ro, or anti-La. MRL/lpr and MRL/+ autoimmune mice thus provide unique models for human SLE, because they express several of the SLE-specific marker autoantibodies. These models should be useful in disclosing molecular and immunologic events governing autoantibody expression in this condition.

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				O. Chan and M. J. Shlomchik A New Role for B Cells in Systemic Autoimmunity: B Cells Promote Spontaneous T Cell Activation in MRL-lpr/lpr Mice J. Immunol., January 1, 1998; 160(1): 51 - 59. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]