Fate of human IgG from lupus erythematosus antinuclear antibody positive sera passively transfered to mice

Abstract

An animal model to study the fate of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in vivo is reported. Newborn Balb/c mice were passively transferred by injection with sera from patients with autoimmune disease. The following antinuclear antibodies were found in the liver, spleen, kidneys and skin shortly after the injection: anti-dsDNA, nRNP, Ro/SSA and La/SSB. Clearance of all these antibodies occurred within 48 hours. The cytoskeleton, Fc immunoglobulin domain and Fc immunoglobulin-cell surface interaction may play a major role in the entry of antinuclear antibodies into cells, which may occur via endocytosis. Our animal model may be useful for studying the kinetics of binding of antinuclear antibodies to nuclear components and the effects of such binding in vivo.