International Immunology Advance Access published online on May 30, 2006
International Immunology, doi:10.1093/intimm/dxl047
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1 Henry Wellcome Building of Molecular Physiology, Oxford University, Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, OX3 7BN, UK
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. The MRL-lpr/lpr mouse strain is a commonly used model of the human autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although much is known about the contribution of the lpr Fas mutation to B cell tolerance breakdown, the role of the genetic background of the MRL strain itself is less well explored. In this study, we use the MD4 anti-hen egg lysozyme Ig (IgHEL) transgenic system to explore B cell function in MRL+/+ and non-autoimmune mice. We demonstrate that MRL IgHEL B cells show spontaneous hyperactivity in the absence of self-antigen, which is associated with low total B cell numbers but an expansion of the marginal zone B cell population. However, B cell anergy is normal in the presence of soluble lysozyme [soluble hen egg lysozyme (sHEL)], and MRL IgHEL B cells undergo normal elimination in the presence of sHEL when competing with a polyclonal C57BL/6 B cell repertoire. We conclude that B cell hyperactivity may contribute to the autoimmune phenotype of MRL+/+ and MRL-lpr/lpr strains when it initiates antibody responses to rare or sequestered antigens that are below the threshold for tolerance induction, but that there is no B cell intrinsic defect in anergy in MRL mice.
Received August 12, 2005
Accepted April 26, 2006
Article
Spontaneous B cell hyperactivity in autoimmune-prone MRL mice
Anastasia Nijnik 1,
Helen Ferry 1,
Graham Lewis 1,
Eleni Rapsomaniki 1,
Janson C. H. Leung 1,
Angelika Daser 1,
Teresa Lambe 1,
Christopher C. Goodnow 2,
and
Richard J. Cornall 1 *
2 Australian Cancer Research Foundation Genetics Laboratory, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
Richard J. Cornall, E-mail: richard.cornall{at}ccmp.ox.ac.uk
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