Spontaneous production of anti‐mouse red blood cell autoantibodies is independent of the polyclonal activation in NZB mice

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Abstract
New Zealand Black (NZB) mice spontaneously develop an autoimmune hemolytic anemia together with a markedly increased production of polyclonal antibodies. The spontaneous generation of anti‐mouse red blood cells (MRBC), anti‐bromelain‐treated MRBC (BrMRBC) and anti‐DNA autoantibodies was compared to the polyclonal antibody formation in irradiated (800 rad) 2‐month‐old NZB mice reconstituted with bone marrow cells (BMC) from 2‐ or 10‐month‐old NZB mice. The injection of 10‐month‐old NZB BMC markedly accelerated the mortality rate in parallel with the progressive increase of anti‐MRBC and anti‐BrMRBC autoantibody production, but the spontaneous production of polyclonal IgM antibodies and anti‐DNA autoantibodies was completely abolished down to the levels of non‐autoimmune mice. In contrast, mice reconstituted with 2‐month‐old NZB BMC exhibited neither the acceleration of anemia nor the lack of polyclonal antibody production. These results strongly suggest that the spontaneous production of anti‐MRBC autoantibodies, including anti‐BrMRBC autoantibodies, in the NZB mouse occurs independently of the polyclonal B cell activation, and that they result from a specific immune stimulation, while the anti‐DNA autoantibody production is a consequence of polyclonal antibody formation.
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