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Patricia Y Tsao, Jing Jiao, Mei Qing Ji, Philip L Cohen, Robert A Eisenberg, T Cell-Independent Spontaneous Loss of Tolerance by Anti-Double-Stranded DNA B Cells in C57BL/6 Mice, The Journal of Immunology, Volume 181, Issue 11, December 2008, Pages 7770–7777, https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.181.11.7770
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Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus is characterized by loss of tolerance to DNA and other nuclear Ags. To understand the role of T cells in the breaking of tolerance, an anti-DNA site-specific transgenic model of spontaneous lupus, B6.56R, was studied. T cells were eliminated by crossing B6.56R with CD4−/− or TCRβ−/−δ−/− mice, and the effects on anti-dsDNA serum levels, numbers of anti-dsDNA Ab-secreting cells, and isotypes of anti-dsDNA were analyzed. In addition, the development and activation of B cells in these mice were examined. Surprisingly, the presence of T cells made little difference in the development and character of the serum anti-dsDNA Ab in B6.56R mice. At 1 mo of age, anti-dsDNA Abs were somewhat lower in mice deficient in αβ and γδ T cells. Levels of Abs later were not affected by T cells, nor was autoantibody class switching. B cell activation was somewhat diminished in T cell-deficient mice. Thus, in the B6 background, the presence of an anti-dsDNA transgene led the production of autoantibodies with a specificity and isotype characteristic of murine systemic lupus erythematosus with little influence from T cells. TLR9 also did not appear to play a role. Although we do not yet understand the mechanism of this failure of immunoregulation, these results suggest that similar processes may influence autoimmunity associated with clinical disease.
