Role of laminin autoantibodies on the embryo toxicity of sera from mercuric chloride treated brown Norway rats.

In previous studies, antilaminin antibodies were found to be toxic to cultured rat embryos. In order to extend these studies, Brown Norway rats were treated with mercuric chloride, which led to the production of laminin autoantibodies. Sera samples from brown Norway rats treated with mercuric chloride were found to be teratogenic as well as lethal to cultured rat embryos. This embryotoxicity was not associated with sera mercury levels, but was related to the levels of antilaminin antibodies in sera. Affinity purified laminin antibodies from these mercuric chloride treated Brown Norway rats, when added to control sera, were found to be teratogenic but not lethal. These antibodies were found to bind to the laminin sequences IKVAV (A chain) and YIGSR (B1 chain), but not RGD (A chain) or YD (B1 chain). These observations suggested the possibility that an environmental pollutant such as mercury could cause the formation of embryotoxic autoantibodies that could persist in the body as embryotoxic factors for extended periods of time.