T-CELL-MEDIATED IMMUNE-RESPONSES OF LUPUS-PRONE BXSB MICE AND OTHER MURINE STRAINS

  • 1 January 1979
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (2) , 181-189
Abstract
Cellular-mediated immunity in the newly described BXSB strain of mice, which is prone to autoimmune disease, was compared with that of 2 other strains, C57Bl/6 and 129/J. Quantification of cytotoxic T[thymus-derived]-cell responses to alloantigens and viruses (lymphocytic choriomeningitis and vaccinia virus) showed no difference in the kinetics of appearance and relative activity of cytotoxic T-cells per spleen between the young and old BXSB and the control mice. The T-cell-dependent primary footpad swelling after local injection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus was within the same range for all strains tested with respect to kinetics, but the size was greater by 2-fold in C57Bl/6 mice. The susceptibility to systemic infection and subsequent induction of lymphocytes immune to Listeria monocytogenes were about equivalent in all strains. However, clearance of Listeria by the RES and early non-immune bactericidal activity of the young and old BXSB were significantly lower than in the control strains. The cellular-mediated immunity (CMI) of BXSB mice compared favorably with that of other strains and there was no apparent difference between CMI of BXSB mice before the onset of disease and during the course of disease. The role of the reduced RES function of BXSB mice in their autoimmune disease or in their high susceptibility to infection remains to be determined.