Department of Pathology and Oncology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Team for Molecular Regulation of Aging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
Autoimmunity. 2019 Aug-Sep;52(5-6):208-219. doi: 10.1080/08916934.2019.1658191. Epub 2019 Sep 2.
Lupus nephritis (LN) is the secondary glomerulonephritis (GN) involved in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and a typical immune complex-type GN. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is an autoimmune disease characterized by systemic vasculitis and pauci-immune-type crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) with ANCA production. Human AAV causes death due to lung haemorrhage and end-stage renal disease, for which renal replacement therapies are necessary. The SLE/AAV overlap syndrome was recently reported in humans. The spontaneous crescentic glomerulonephritis-forming/Kinjoh (SCG/Kj) mouse is a unique model of human AAV showing production of myeloperoxidase (MPO)-ANCA. We previously discovered seven disease susceptibility quantitative trait loci (QTL) derived from SCG/Kj mice by linkage analysis. To investigate the individual functions of each QTL, and to identify AAV susceptibility genes, we introduced them into a B6/lpr background to establish SCG/Kj interval congenic mice (SICM). B6/lpr. mice, a type of SICM, exhibited the production of autoantibodies, including MPO-ANCA. The GN in B6/lpr. mice was not pauci-immune type: deposition of immunoglobulins and complement components was observed in nephritic glomeruli, similar to that in LN. The incidence of GN in female B6/lpr. mice was 100%. Granulocyte infiltration was also observed in the glomerular tuft and crescents. B6/lpr. mice also displayed vasculitis in multiple organs, most frequently the lung and kidney. Vasculitis was characterized by the infiltration of mononuclear cells to vascular walls followed by granulocyte infiltration, resembling human lupus vasculitis. The incidence of lung vasculitis was over 90% in male and female B6/lpr. mice. Blood MPO-ANCA levels were significantly associated with histopathological disease phenotypes. MPO deposition was observed in nephritic glomeruli, and granulocytes infiltrated into inflamed vessels and glomeruli. These observations suggest that the activation of granulocytes and local MPO release contribute to the pathogenesis of GN and vasculitis. As a monocongenic mouse, B6/lpr. mice show the association between murine chromosome 1 segment and autoimmunity. This strain can be used as a model of the SLE/AAV overlap syndrome, and will be useful for elucidating the mechanism of ANCA generation and the pathogenesis of CrGN and vasculitis, as well as in the search for genetic factors related to AAV.
狼疮性肾炎(LN)是系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)中涉及的继发性肾小球肾炎(GN),也是典型的免疫复合物型 GN。抗中性粒细胞胞质自身抗体(ANCA)相关性血管炎(AAV)是一种自身免疫性疾病,其特征为全身血管炎和少免疫性新月体性肾小球肾炎(CrGN)伴 ANCA 产生。人类 AAV 可导致肺出血和终末期肾病死亡,需要进行肾脏替代治疗。SLE/AAV 重叠综合征最近在人类中被报道。自发性新月体性肾小球肾炎形成/Kinjoh(SCG/Kj)小鼠是一种独特的人类 AAV 模型,表现为髓过氧化物酶(MPO)-ANCA 的产生。我们之前通过连锁分析从 SCG/Kj 小鼠中发现了七个疾病易感性数量性状位点(QTL)。为了研究每个 QTL 的个体功能,并鉴定 AAV 易感性基因,我们将它们引入 B6/lpr 背景中以建立 SCG/Kj 区间同系小鼠(SICM)。B6/lpr. 小鼠是一种 SICM,表现出自身抗体的产生,包括 MPO-ANCA。B6/lpr. 小鼠的 GN 不是少免疫性类型:在肾炎肾小球中观察到免疫球蛋白和补体成分的沉积,类似于 LN。雌性 B6/lpr. 小鼠 GN 的发生率为 100%。粒细胞浸润也观察到在肾小球丛和新月体中。B6/lpr. 小鼠还在多个器官中表现出血管炎,最常见于肺和肾。血管炎的特征是单核细胞浸润血管壁后粒细胞浸润,类似于人类狼疮性血管炎。雄性和雌性 B6/lpr. 小鼠的肺血管炎发生率均超过 90%。血液 MPO-ANCA 水平与组织病理学疾病表型显著相关。在肾炎肾小球中观察到 MPO 沉积,粒细胞浸润到炎症血管和肾小球中。这些观察结果表明,粒细胞的激活和局部 MPO 释放有助于 GN 和血管炎的发病机制。作为一种单基因同系小鼠,B6/lpr. 小鼠显示出与小鼠染色体 1 片段和自身免疫之间的关联。该品系可作为 SLE/AAV 重叠综合征的模型,对于阐明 ANCA 产生的机制以及 CrGN 和血管炎的发病机制,以及寻找与 AAV 相关的遗传因素将非常有用。