Female DQ0302 Transgenic Mice Develop Inflammatory Disease with Autoimmune Characteristics at Old Age
Sandra Reichstetter, Susan Dowling Chella Davia, Gerlad T. Nepom, William W. Kwok
Female mice, transgenic for the HLA-DQ0302 gene developed an inflammation of toes, conjunctiva, and sinuses at about one year of age, with an incidence of 100%. The incidence in age-matched males was less than 5%. This localized inflammatory disease was characterized by a mainly neutrophilic infiltrate, with elevated numbers of T- and B-cells present in the draining lymphnodes. Hyper IgG and IgM were associated with the western blot detection of autoantibodies to tissue extracts Western blot analysis of autoantibodies. This and elevated activation markers on both T- and B-cells lead to the conclusion that the inflammation is due to a polyclonal activation of the immune response. The HLA-DQ0302 gene, an immune response element associated with human autoimmune diabetes, may predispose to a pattern of generalized immune overactivity.