MRL LPR MICE PRODUCE ANTI-RO-52-000 MW ANTIBODIES - DETECTION, ANALYSIS OF SPECIFICITY AND SITE OF PRODUCTION/

MRL/lpr mice are studied as one of the animal models of the human auto immune disease Sjogren's syndrome. The mice develop inflammatory exocr inopathy resembling that of patients with Sjogren's syndrome. To inves tigate if MRL/lpr mice produce the anti-Ro/SS-A and anti-La/SS-B autoa ntibodies common to Sjogren's syndrome patients, mouse sera were teste d in ELISA and Western blot with recombinant Ro 60 000 MW, Ro 52 000 M W and La antigen. Thirty per cent of mice aged 4 months and 5% of mice aged 2 months produced antibodies to human Ro 52 000 MW. Antibodies t o Ro 60 000 MW and La were found in a low percentage of the older mice but not at all in the younger mice. Immunohistological staining of mo use organ sections demonstrated anti-Ro 52 000 MW-producing cells in s pleen, lymph nodes and salivary glands of seropositive animals. These findings provide further evidence for the usefulness of the MRL/lpr mo use as a model for Sjogren's syndrome.