Le. Desjardin et al., HYPERPROLIFERATION OF BXSB B-CELLS IS LINKED TO THE YAA ALLELE, Clinical immunology and immunopathology, 81(2), 1996, pp. 145-152
Systemic lupus erythematosus is characterized by polyclonal B cell act
ivation, the production of autoantibodies, and often by renal disease.
Previous studies demonstrated that unfractionated B cells from severa
l strains of mice with lupus hyperproliferate in culture when stimulat
ed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or anti-IgM. We wished to further exa
mine proliferation of resting B cells from the BXSB mouse model of lup
us and mice with the Yaa allele, when activated with a number of stimu
li. Our work demonstrates that: (1) resting B cells from mice containi
ng the Yaa allele hyperproliferated compared to that seen with B cells
from mice lacking the Yaa allele, (2) this hyperproliferation occurre
d whether cells were stimulated with phorbol myristate acetate/ionomyc
in, LPS, anti-IgM, or CD40L cross-linking, (3) this hyperproliferation
is specific to B and not T cells. Taken together these data suggest t
hat one mechanism by which the Yaa allele contributes to the accelerat
ed onset of lupus in BXSB male mice is through its influence on B cell
activation. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.