GENETIC-ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED LUPUS IN MICE

The DBA/2 and C57BL/6 mouse strains, as well as the BXD RI lines deriv ed from these strains, were used to map the genes controlling experime ntally induced systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE was induced usi ng two immunologic approaches: (1) immunization with the human monoclo nal anti-DNA antibody expressing the 16/6Id, to which the DBA/2 strain is susceptible (responder) and the C57BL/6 strain is resistant (nonre sponder); and (2) induction of autoimmune GVHD in B6D2F1 hosts by inoc ulation of parental DBA/2 (induces SLE) or C57BL/6 (does not induce SL E) T cells. By both approaches the BXD RI lines could be divided into distinct DBA/2-like and C57BL/6-like categories. Concordance of SLE in duced by both methods was observed for susceptibility and resistance i n 13/15 BXD lines (P < 0.005). The results suggest that at least two n on-H-2 genes control susceptibility and resistance to experimentally i nduced SLE, one mapping to chromosome 7 and the other mapping to chrom osome 14. (C) 1997 Academic Press.