Qualitative difference of anti‐DNA antibody‐producing cell precursors in the pre‐immune B cell repertoire between normal and lupus‐prone mice

Abstract

The precursor frequency for anti‐DNA antibody‐producing cells in the pre‐immune B cell repertoire was investigated in young female BALB/c and NZW mice, and in young and aged female NZB ± NZWFl (B/WF1) mice. Spleen cells from these mice were diluted serially and stimulated polyclonally in vitro with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and IL‐4 to induce both IgM and IgG1 production. The results demonstrated that there existed virtually no difference in precursor frequency for IgM anti‐DNA antibody‐producing cells between normal and lupus mice, confirming previous observations made by other investigators. In contrast, the number of precursors for IgG 1 anti‐DNA antibody‐producing cells was much higher in young and old B/WF1 mice than in normal mice. These results suggest that the high frequency of precursors for IgG1 anti‐DNA antibody‐producing cells in the pre‐immune B cell repertoire of B/WF1 mice is a crucial factor for the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Copyright © 1991, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved