Immunological properties of athymic nude mice born from homozygous (nu/nu) parents

Establishment of T-cell clones recognizing difference in H-2K antigen and inducing graft-versus-host disease

From the spleen cells of C57BL/6 (B6) mice, T-cell clones were established which responded to mutant H-2K antigen of B6. B-H-2bml (Hz1) mice. One clone and its subclones were maintained in culture medium containing lower concentration (2.5%) of IL-2 (culture supernatant of rat spleen cells stimulated with concanavalin A). They were shown to have a capability to induce graft-versus-host reaction in (B6 X Hz1)F1 recipients as well as to exert cytotoxicity against concanavalin-A-activated spleen cells of Hz1 mice and also their kidney fibroblasts. They lacked cytotoxicity against syngeneic and also third-party Con-A-stimulated spleen cells. These reactive clones were Thy-1.2 and Lyt-2 positive and Lyt-1 negative. On the other hand, clones which were maintained in culture medium containing higher concentration (20%) of IL-2 were devoid of activities in vivo as well as in vitro. These clones were Thy-1.2 positive but Lyt-1.2 and Lyt-2.2 negative.

Rectification of immunological abnormalities and lupus nephritis by the transfer of bone marrow cells

Two-month old MRL/1 mice, which spontaneously develop lymphoproliferative syndrome and severe lupus nephritis at 4-5 months of age, were irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow cells from a congenic strain MRL/n mice. In the chimeric (n----1) mice, the early onset of the lupus nephritis was prevented as evidenced by decrease in the degree of proteinuria, diminished intensity of immune deposits in glomeruli, and milder histopathologic changes in kidneys. Lymph node swelling as well as generation of a large number of splenic IgSC was also prevented. Anti-ss DNA antibody response in the chimeric mice, however, varied tremendously from one animal to another.