Lack of transfer of lpr-type abnormalities (lymphoproliferation or lymphoid aplasia) in double congenic nude beige mice engrafted with lpr haematopoietic cells.

The aetiology of the autoimmune and lymphoproliferative syndrome caused by the murine lpr (lymphoproliferation) mutation was studied by the adoptive transfer methodology using non-irradiated athymic and natural killer (NK)-deficient C57BL/6 nude beige mice (B6 nubg) as recipients. The [lpr-->nubg] chimeras did not display the severe lymphoid organ aplasia shown by irradiated non-lpr recipients of lpr haematopoietic cells. However, nor did they either express the typical lpr phenotype features (hyperglobulinaemia, autoimmunity and lymphoid hyperplasia). Nevertheless, engraftment of lpr cells in the nubg recipients was shown by their much increased survival, the recovery of T-cell mitogen responsiveness in the spleen, and the presence of T-dependent immunoglobulin isotypes in their serum. The host of donor origin of serum immunoglobulin was studied by measuring IgG2a allotypes in the serum of [lpr-->nubg] chimeras made with different lgh-congenic mice. Interestingly, several months after grafting, the serum IgG2a was found to be mainly of lpr graft origin, suggesting that only lpr B cells could function in such chimeras. In conclusion, a lpr spleen cell graft reconstituted non-irradiated nubg recipients and induced neither a typical lpr syndrome nor a lpr-type graft-versus-host (GVH)-like disease. These features of the lpr syndrome are at variance with those of the phenotypically similar gld syndrome, since this mutation allows the transfer of a generalized lymphadenopathy disease by grafting gld spleen cells in nubg or irradiated recipients. Unlike the gld syndrome, the lpr gene might not only affect haematopoietic cells but also cells of the environment, which would interact in the same impaired process.