Abstract
Aging is characterized by a decline in humoral immunity and a concommitant increased incidence of anti-DNA and other autoantibodies. To define how the regulation of autoreactive B cells is altered with age, we have used BALB/c mice with an Ig heavy H chain transgene to track the fate of anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA B cells in vivo. In young adult mice, anti-dsDNA B cells are developmentally arrested and excluded from the splenic B cell follicle, whereas in most aged mice they are mature and localize within the B cell follicle. Furthermore, we have detailed global changes in lymphoid architecture that accompany aging: CD4+ T cells are found not only in the periarteriolar lymphoid sheath, but also in the B cell follicles, Strikingly, these disruptions are similar to those that precede serum anti-dsDNA antibody expression in autoimmune MRL-lpr/lpr mice.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 915-926 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | International Immunology |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2000 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Anti-nuclear antibodies
- Autoimmunity
- Nephritis
- Tolerance
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology